To Infinity
by moonstone8959
Summary: [[COMPLETE!]] They spent years preparing for the war. Watching and guiding the key players. Hopefully they didn't mess up and they could actually save people this time rather than leave them to die. (Sequel to Getting to Know Spiderboy)
1. Chapter 1

**To Infinity**

* * *

"Yes, right."

Nadia paused her arms poised with one above her head and the other almost twisted around her torso.

"Move your hand higher, it should help with the flow of your attacking spells."

"Like this?"

The man circled her, eyes sharp. "Yes, but…" He tilted her wrist slightly. "Perfect."

Swiftly, his hand went to strike at her and the young woman twirled before repeating the stance as she cast a spell. It knocked the dark-haired man back.

"Finally. I thought you would never get it right." He chuckled.

"Of course I would. You're a great teacher, Loki." Nadia smiled, her expression widening when he saw him puff up.

The trickster would never admit it out loud, but he enjoyed teaching Anya's child. He loved her praises even more.

"You know that that was a dirty move, Loki."

Speak of the devil.

She was dressed in her purple and black robes, though slightly altered to blend more with the Asgardian style. Her posture was stern and her lips a straight line.

Loki scoffed, "Well indeed it was. Do you expect a real enemy to play fair, darling?"

Anya's firm stance softened a bit.

Loki turned to Nadia and winked, she giggled.

The blue-eyed woman shook her head, "The council will be holding their meeting soon. The Allfather's presence is required."

The prince brushed himself off, "Well, duty calls, I'm afraid."

Nadia sighed, "I'll be going too. Home I mean. This will probably be goodbye for now."

Anya looked at the two forlornly, Nadia punching the man on the shoulder. The two had grown close since her daughter started visiting Asgard over three years ago. Nadia had stayed two weeks this time. Her longest visit to date. She would usually stay two or three days with weeks, even months, in between.

"Midgard is dull."

"I have duties too."

"And what would the Man of Iron have you doing? You could learn so much more here." Anya knew that the man would miss her daughter, though he would never say. He enjoyed having a student who trusted him and didn't mind his mischievous tendencies.

"And I'd love to stay… for a bit longer at least. Still, I'll be visiting again."

"Yes," He looked at Anya who was approaching them, "I will look forward to then."

A battle cry sounded from behind him and he slipped away easily. Nadia landed on the ground when she went right through the illusion of him. She glared at him, flipping her hair from her face.

"Ah. Why do you insist on imitating Thor in that aspect? Those versed in magic-"

Loki staggered forward a step when a weight hit his back.

"Hah! Finally! Beat you at your own game!" Nadia cried victoriously from her perch on the god's back.

Loki realized what she had been doing during their little sparring sessions. She had given him the idea that she would roar out whenever she was sneaking up to tackle him. Then when she really meant to charge him, she was silent.

He rolled his eyes, "Such tactics will still not work during a _real_ fight. Now, unfortunately, I must go." The familiar glow of magic washed over him as he slipped easily into his disguise.

"Thank you for meeting with me, _Allfather_." Nadia bowed, smirking. She knew the god of mischief didn't like being referred to like that when around her or her mother.

Uncharacteristically for Odin, he rolled his eye. The girl simply laughed, moving to hug her mother and share some words with her before disappearing into the palace.

Anya then took her place beside Odin and nodded her head, "Thank you for training her. You _are_ a good teacher, you know."

"Of course, Lady Anya," they walked side by side into the palace as well, turning down a hall leading to the throne room. "It is a simple request in exchange for helping me oversee the less... _fun_ things here."

Anya gave a warning glance at the disguised Loki. He merely chuckled. She sighed in defeat and shook her head as the large golden doors opened and Loki-slash- Odin swaggered in. Almost two years and no one ever really questioned the Allfather's change in demeanor. She should really just give up trying to correct him at all.

Loki did as he pleased, no matter what.

* * *

"I still can't believe you went to Thor's home planet without telling me!" Peter pouted. The squinted lenses on his mask indicating how upset he was.

"Sorry, Pete. I couldn't exactly bring a plus one. I went there to see what I could learn," She flicked his forehead. "Besides, if you asked me then, I would have probably snuck you in."

The lenses widened almost comically, "Really?"

Nadia chuckled, "Well my mom seemed pretty sure. That's why she made me swear not to tell anyone where I was going."

Peter grinned. Actually, he would have been sure too.

"I did manage to take a few pictures." Nadia handed over her phone.

"Wow! This place looks like something out of a fantasy novel." He said as he examined the pictures of the shining city.

A shot of the palace from the marketplace. The royal gardens.

"Everything's so… gold- wait. Oh my God! You met Thor?!" He gaped at the selfie Nadia had with her and the blond god of thunder in the palace, Odin almost scowling in the background.

Nadia grinned, "He happened to be there when I visited and was pretty game for a selfie."

Then there was one of her that simply caught Nadia's hazel eyes, though the subject was clearly her mother talking to Odin.

Then another selfie of Nadia with Thor in the stables, the young woman petting a lean and gallant black stallion while the Asgardian leaned down from his own massive buckskin.

Peter punched the young woman on the shoulder, "You're taking me next time!"

She laughed, producing an object from her pocket and tossing it to him.

Peter yelped and juggled her phone and the small pouch in his hands until he had a solid grip on both. Handing Nadia back her mobile, he looked curiously at the pouch, pulling the string and emptying it on his palm.

"Your souvenir. Sorry, it took close to two years," The young woman nodded to the crystal that was attached to a short chain. It looked simple enough, somewhat translucent, like ice. "It's the same thing that their rainbow bridge is made of. And-"

She took Peter's hand and pulled off one glove. His brown eyes followed intently as she slowly lowered the crystal onto his uncovered palm. Imperceptible at first, the inside of the keychain glowed yellow like a soft flame from a candle.

"Oh wow." He looked in awe at the small light.

Nadia smiled, "The rainbow bridge glows because of the power that runs through it from Asgard. This lights up from soul energy, but you have to put your focus in it to work."

Peter looked back up at her and the glow died, "Is it the same for everybody?"

To answer, she simply picked up the crystal, setting it in her own palm. It didn't take long for the facets to sparkle a bright, almost wild green for a few moments before going clear again. "Nope." She said simply before putting it back in the teen's hand.

Peter gripped the object, looking back up at Nadia. "Ah, jeez. How can I ever pay you back, Dia? My souvenir was a scrap of metal. How can it compare to a magic Asgardian diamond?!" He flailed.

The young woman laughed out loud, "All you need to say is thank you, you dork. And it's not a diamond! You can find them in all around the outskirts of Asgard small amounts if you know where to look." She bumped his shoulder with hers. "Besides, this little scrap of metal-," she pulled out a rectangular pendant on a chain, "- is from your first big fight."

She thumbed the surface, traces of blue and white on one side like the paint had been scratched off, "The fact that this came from the sign the Winter Soldier threw at you is a pretty big deal."

"You still have it?" Peter looked surprised.

"Of course I do, Spiderboy! It's from _you_!" She chuckled and looked back at the pendant, Peter sheepishly scratching at his neck. "That and that you even _thought_ to go back for it after Captain America floored you is sweet." She looked at him with a smile.

Peter was just glad his mask was still on.

"I could have done with a fridge magnet, you know."

Their break was cut off by glass shattering and the shrill sound of an alarm. "Well, duty calls," said Nadia, putting back her own half mask as she stood.

**::About time, too!::** Jacks echoed in her ear when the AI activated. **::Time to kick ass!::**

"Looks like five of them. Wanna split this?" Wraith asked, fingers flaring with magic.

**::You can take them!::**

"You know I can hear Jacks right?" Peter said, putting the crystal in its pouch and keeping it in a pocket in his suit that housed some of his web fluid refills.

Nadia laughed as she jumped down from the building. "Oh, he knows it too. Take the three on the left."

**::Oh come on!::** The AI practically groaned exasperatedly.

Peter laughed too, swinging after his partner.

* * *

Renny watched the ripples on the surface of the lake, sitting under the shade of a tree. A young goat had rested its head on her lap and she pet its ears, scratching a bit.

Birds flew overhead and cawed at each other.

It was peaceful.

Yet her shoulders couldn't feel any heavier. Something was making her gut churn, chills run down her spine, and her palms sweat at random times. It was getting worse.

Maybe she should ask both her girls to visit here again a few months earlier than planned.

"You know I'm kind of jealous right now."

She looked up and met Bucky's grinning face, giving him her own smile, "Jealous? Of this adorable fella?" She kissed the top of the animal's head while it bleated, annoyed at being moved from his comfortable position. It scrambled away and Bucky laughed, petting the goat's head as well when it passed.

"Such a tease," he said, sitting down beside her on the grass. He wrapped his arm around his girl and kissed her hair.

_His girl. _Sometimes it was still surreal to him.

She pouted and looked at Bucky, grey eyes meeting blue. The man chuckled, knowing what she wanted, "Nuh-uh. You just kissed the goat, Sunshine. I swear sometimes, it's like you love them more than me."

Looking scandalized as she propped herself up in her knees, Renny said dramatically, "Never."

Bucky pulled her down, "Really, doll?" He said lowly.

"I love _you_, James Buchanan Barnes." Her voice was clear and stern and she looked straight into his eyes, touching her forehead to his.

He would never get tired of hearing her say it. Not after he waited for so long. Saying I love you back always didn't feel like enough though, so he did what he did every time she said it.

He kissed her. Slowly. Deeply.

Her fingers tugged at his hair and she shifted onto his lap. He loved it. He loved her and everything she did.

He hummed in contentment, "_Definitely_ worth the goat breath."

Bucky laughed out loud and barely budged when she shoved at his shoulders, giving him a playful glare.

"I'll give you goat breath," she said lowly, a mischievous grin on her lips. She shifted her weight to her right, knowing it would overbalance him.

He could have easily stayed upright, but he let her wrestle him to the ground. She peppered his face in kisses while he playfully resisted.

God, he loved her.

"Say that again, Pancakes." Renny pulled away slightly, barely two inches between them.

Whoops. Looks like he said it out loud that time.

This time, he gave her a kiss to the tip of her nose, "God, I love you, Renny."

* * *

**A/N: Hey y'all. Finally, yeah? I know it's been a while, but my muse hasn't been kind lately. So this chapter basically just places where each of the Capellis are leading up to Infinity War. Still not sure exactly how this story is gonna pan out because I don't have a definite plot yet unlike when I was writing GTKS, so it might be a while 'til I actually get some traction on it. Suggestions are very welcome. **

**I might be doing the story plus flashbacks/ oneshots in between so I can keep this story updated and not sitting idle for too long. Sound good? Or do you guys have an idea? I'd love to hear it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: For those new to the story**

**::AI speak/ voice from a call or communicator::**

* * *

**21 months before Thanos**

* * *

_She was doing it again. She thought no one noticed and that she was being sneaky, but Peter saw the limp she would hide after training sessions. The wince or flinch she suppressed when her sparring involved hand to hand and she'd get hit on that specific spot on her leg._

_Nadia was sitting in the living room, waiting for him to grab his backpack before she portalled both of them to the Avengers facility for the weekend._

_She was massaging her leg delicately, the hint of shadows beneath her eyes cluing him in to what was probably not a very easy patrol last night, maybe even early this morning. This was actually the last weekend of May's imposed hero ban on Peter._

_By Monday, he would be out and about again as Spiderman. He could offer to take a solo patrol and give her a break for a few days maybe._

_"Are you okay, Nadia?" Peter said, concerned. The sound of his voice made her halt her actions._

_"Of course, Spiderboy." She smiled at him, "Why wouldn't I be?"_

_His brown eyes drifted to her leg and the memory of homecoming night, Nadia being crushed under a ton of concrete from the knee down. Her choked scream and whimper echoed in his head._

_"You should tell Mister Stark."_

_She shrugged, "It's just a little muscle pain. He already had Dr. Cho treat me."_

_The treatment had worked… mostly anyway. Some of the residual magic from the regeneration spell she used to help heal her leg had interfered slightly with the cradle's tech. She'd told Tony she'd be able to handle the rest with her magic._

_Peter sat beside her on the couch, holding her arm, "Please?"_

_His eyes glinted with worry and Nadia chuckled, "How can I say no to that look?"_

* * *

**_::Fuck! Take cover! There's a concrete barrier, four o'clock!::_**

_She followed her AI's instructions and jumped behind a low wall, hissing and clutching at her leg. Shots were fired into the concrete and she had to duck lower. This had been a simple armed robbery, but one of the masked goons decided to shoot her in the shin._

_It didn't penetrate her pant leg. Spells made the cloth stronger than kevlar, but the force of the hit was still enough to bring her down. That and the fact that-_

Thwip!

_The sound repeated several times in quick succession, followed by the grunts and frustrated yells._

_When Nadia peeked from her hiding place, she saw Spiderman giving her a look._

_"Looks like that's a wrap." She stood, hopping once before settling on both feet, though with more weight was obviously put on just one. She could hear sirens in the distance._

_"You didn't tell Mister Stark." Peter sounded a bit exasperated._

_"My robes may be reinforced with a shielding charm Peter, but I can still feel some of the force from a gunshot." Nadia tried to reason out._

_"Nadia," the teen grabbed her arm as she made to start a portal away, "Let's just go to Mister Stark."_

_She sighed, "I'm okay, Peter. Just a little tired." A portal was opened and Nadia stepped into her apartment. "I have solo patrol tomorrow."_

_Peter quickly followed through before it closed behind him. "I've seen what your shielding charms can do, Dia. What's a gunshot compared to an _alien laser_?" He said, pitch high, remembering the ferry incident._

_She did her best to assure him, "Peter, I'll be okay. I just need to do a little," she wiggled her fingers._

_The teen stared at her as she walked into her kitchen, grabbing a mug, "Want something before you go?"_

_"N-No, thanks. I'm okay," He looked down at Stevie who gave him a look, "I'll see you tomorrow."_

_She bid him good night and told him to hurry home because May was texting her. He'd received a text from his aunt too. After sending her a quick OTW, he paused, a determined expression on his face before sending out another message._

* * *

_Nadia's eyes blinked open slowly and she yawned. She tried wiggling the toes on her right leg and bending her knee to test out the muscles. Looking to the side, she wondered why Stevie was absent. He usually lounged on the mattress long after she got up-_

_She heard a noise and shot up from bed. Her mother and grandmother were both away and weren't due for a check-in yet._

_She snuck into the hallway, ready with a spell when the smell of coffee hit her nose._

_There, in her kitchen, was Tony Stark. Stevie was laying on the floor close to the breakfast island, keeping an eye on the billionaire._

_"You need some decent coffee. I can barely taste the beans in this." Tony wrinkled his nose, pushing away his mug._

_"It's soya bean coffee." Nadia answered, going to a cabinet and bringing out a container of her other coffee grounds._

_"That's not real coffee."_

_She poured the rest of the soya coffee into a thermos and rinsed out the coffee maker for a new batch of "real coffee"._

_"Tony, it's-" When she looked at the clock she jumped, "Oh crap, is that seriously the time?" Did she sleep through her alarm? Just as she was about to turn and make a dash for her room, Tony spoke up._

_"Happy called the cafe. You're off the hook for today." He stood and gave her a stern look, "But we," he pointed at himself, then her, "are going to the facility."_

_"Is it an emergency?" Nadia wondered, immediately perking up, "You could have just called."_

_"Nope, then you would have waited, and this needs attention in a more timely fashion." He held his hand out and made a motion. "Magic circle."_

_"I'm still in pajamas-"_

_"Circle." Tony said more firmly._

_Nadia sighed. She guessed she would find out when she got there. A few seconds had a portal open to Tony's lab, one Dr. Cho and an assistant present._

_Her brows raised and her thoughts came together._

_"Peter…"_

_"Yup," Was the simple confirmation. "After you, Sabrina." Tony urged her forward._

_She guessed there was no avoiding it now. Not with the sternness masked in her father's cheery tone and steely eyes._

* * *

_"Multiple hairline fractures," Dr. Cho said, examining a 3d version of a bone scan and zooming in on her right tibia and fibula, "The cradle managed to fix the worst breaks, but these..." She gestured to the fine lines crossing her bones, "They weren't here then."_

_Tony clicked his tongue, "Why'd you even think about hiding this? I trusted you when you told me your voodoo was enough to take care of it." There was no outside sign of the trauma her leg had undergone because the cradle had still taken care of the superficial and muscle damage despite the slight interference of Nadia's magic._

_"I thought…" Nadia hung her head in shame. She couldn't think of a valid reason. She _did_ just assume that it was muscle pain or her adjusting to her patched up leg, but when the pain persisted after several regeneration charms, she should have said something._

_"She needs a boot to limit the strain and around eight weeks to give her bones time to properly heal." Dr. Cho said, Tony nodded._

_"Now you can't say I'm not a doctor or I'm just overly paranoid. The actual doctor said it." He gave her a stern look, crossing his arms. "You're benched."_

_Nadia gaped, "Eight weeks?!" That was _way_ too long._

_"Well, that's the disadvantage of healing like a normal person." Tony sniffed. "You'll be staying at the facility while you're off patrol."_

_The young woman shook her head. "No. No way. I have a job, Tony."_

_The man folded his arms in front of his chest, "Fine. Your job at the cafe. But other than that, you're coming straight to the facility."_

_"Seriously! It's just serving coffee- Wait." Nadia's eye twitched, "You're _okay_ with me going to the cafe?" She asked suspiciously._

_"It's your day job." Tony shrugged and said simply, "But no after hours activities. The kid will make sure you actually come here before he goes on patrol."_

_"Peter?" Well… he must have wanted to do something to make sure she would get better, "He volunteered? I swear I'll come here straight after work. He doesn't have to worry about me. I'm the adult." She tried to reassure while Dr. Cho's assistant snapped on the boot on her leg._

_Tony scoffed, "Sure, and sometimes adults need supervision. You tried to hide your booboos, so until I can trust that you won't be a child and will actually come over after your coffee job, the Spiderling will make sure." He patted her shoulder, "Just do it for him. You know how kids worry."_

_And as Nadia had come to find, Tony could worry too._

_The billionaire clapped his hands together when the assistant stood up, "Now that that's done. I've got an hour before a meeting. Up for ice cream? Ben & Jerry's just named a flavor after me."_

* * *

**A/N: Looks like this story will be following this format. Present-day chapters with flashbacks of the two years in between. The flashbacks will switch between the three Capelli's so we get a glimpse into what each of them were doing before the Infinity War.**

**Big thanks to all those who followed here from Getting to know Spiderboy and The Second Sun. For those who are new, welcome! I would, however, suggest that you read GTKS first before this one as there will be plenty of references to past events that might be confusing. Suggestions? Comments? Is this format alright with you? I'd love to know.**

**'Til Next Time~**


	3. Chapter 3

_**20 months before Thanos**_

* * *

_"Thanks, Hannah."_

_"Oh, no problem, dear."_

_Nadia untied her apron and hung it on a hook in the wall. With her leg in a boot, she had mostly cashier duty._

_"Hi, Mrs. Coleman."_

_"Hello, sweetie. She's just fixing up."_

_On the other side of the counter stood none other than Peter Parker. Just like Tony had said, the teen had been doing this practically every day for the past three weeks- meeting her at the cafe at the end of her shift._

_"All set?" He would ask her, and she would give an affirmative and he would make a motion for her small backpack, "I got it."_

_Nadia nodded in resignation. She'd given up trying to tell him she was perfectly capable of carrying her own bag since last week. She'd stumbled because her messenger bag had somehow swung, hit her crutch and almost made her trip up. She would have landed clumsily on her hands and knees, maybe even her face, if Peter hadn't made a grab for her arm._

_The young woman had made the switch to a small backpack a few days ago when the same thing almost happened again. Even with the change, Peter didn't seem to want to take any chances and would continue offering his bag-carrying arm every few minutes if she didn't let him help her._

_They'd walk a few blocks, Peter chatting about something that happened at school and asking her how her leg was that day, her giving a cursory "It's healing," before cutting into an alley. She'd open a portal, he'd hand her her bag, and he would make sure the magical gateway opened up to reveal Happy or Rhodey waiting at the living area of the Avengers facility._

_Then a hand-off._

_All her life, she'd learned to be independent. She'd only ever had her mother and grandmother to rely on and Outsider duties had her used to always watching out for someone else. The moments Peter or Tony did something for her were definitely sweet and heartwarming._

_But that was just it. Those were **moments**._

_Not this full on reversal._

_Though it was kind of sweet and adorable the first week, by the time the second week came to a close…_

_Gosh…_

_She felt like a child having to be picked up from kindergarten. Or she assumed this is what it would feel like. Homeschool was all she knew. That and self-learning from libraries and sneaking into classes._

_"You know you don't have to keep walking me from work." She told Peter, "Happy and Rhodey keep tabs on me and definitely report to Tony about me checking in at the facility."_

_Peter tugged at the straps of his backpack, "Well, yeah… maybe I don't need to, but I **want** to… to be sure you're okay."_

_Nadia huffed, "It's been almost three weeks of taking it easy. I am **okay**, Peter."_

_The teen sighed, "That's what you said before. You promised too."_

_Nadia chuckled, "Yeah. Alright, I get it." She shook her head and looked back at her companion, "Now do you understand how I feel when you hide things from me?"_

_"It sucks," he muttered in agreement._

_"Really though," She ruffled his hair, "I promise I'm okay this time. And I promise I won't say 'I promise' unless I** really** mean it." The young woman gave a smile and even tapped at the boot on her leg. "The facility doctor said this'll be off soon and that I'm healing a little faster than they anticipated."_

_They cut into an empty alley and Peter checked to make sure no one was watching when Nadia was about to conjure a portal._

_"Well then… I promise too." Peter said, voice filled with determination. "To mean it when I say it."_

_Rhodey waved from the other side._

_"It's a deal, Spiderboy." She held out her pinky. The two locked fingers and shook. "I'll see you tomorrow."_

_"See you, Dia." Peter did a little wave while she stepped through the sparks. She threw one more smile and nod over her shoulder before the portal dissipated._

* * *

_"Where's Peter?"_

_Need spoke up, "Sorry Mr. Harrington. He said he'll catch up-"_

_"Again?" Abe wondered._

_"Every day. Like clockwork." Michelle muttered, shrugging._

_"What's Penis Parker doing that's so important?" Flash scoffed._

_"He's just making sure Nadia gets home after work. She fractured her leg and has to wear a boot for a few weeks." Ned explained simply._

_"Wait, his babysitter?!" Flash gaped._

_"She's not-"_

_Mr. Harrington clapped his hands together to catch the team's attention, "Alright, we're off topic here. Mister Parker will just have to join us when he gets back or just see me in the faculty. Moving to the next practice material…"_

_Michelle leaned in toward Ned and whispered, "I have to ask, not that boys and girls can't be just friends, but doesn't he have a thing for her?"_

_Ned shuffled in his seat, "Uhhh…"_

* * *

_**17 months before Thanos**_

* * *

_Peter huffed when he flopped on the lounge chair, tossing a bottle of water to the side._

_Nadia caught it from where she lay on another chair a few feet away. "Thanks, Peter."_

_The two were on one of the roof gardens that topped different portions of the facility. This was the one closest to their assigned bedrooms._

_It had been a few months, and spending weekends at the facility getting drilled with training or working with Tony became a regular thing._

_"Who'd you spar with this time?" Nadia asked, taking a gulp of her water._

_"Another batch of recruits." Peter paused, "Five of the senior ones. They got pretty close to getting me. Two of them were absolute ninjas." He declared, throwing his arms up._

_Nadia laughed, "Glad that you enjoyed yourself. Gotta ask, what made them 'ninjas'?"_

_Peter launched into a bout of vigorous gesturing and reenacting the moves said recruits pulled on him, less description, more, "And he was like all _hiya_! And I had to jump, but then-"_

_The young woman smiled, amused by the teen's energy. His lively story was interrupted when a figure phased upward through the floor._

_"Ah! Oh my God! Sorry, mister Vision!" Peter yelped when he almost kicked the android._

_"It's alright." He nodded and turned his attention to Nadia._

_"Hey, Vision. Is it time for another round in the ring?" The young woman stood and stretched._

_"Not yet. Your father is looking for you in the lab." He informed._

_"Is this about the suit he's been working on?"_

_Peter perked up and stared at Nadia, oblivious to the rest of the conversation as they started to walk to the doors. "Wait! Your **dad**?"_

_The teen was quite confused._

_"Yeah," the young woman shrugged, " I wonder what he wants this time?"_

_Peter stumbled quickly forward so he could walk beside her through the corridors. Why was she acting so normal? "'This time'? What?" That meant her dad showed up often enough that there was a "this time."_

_Nadia tilted her head, "This is pretty standard, Spiderboy. What's up?" She wondered at his reaction, becoming a little confused herself. Tony always did things like this. He made time for his proteges, so this wasn't anything new._

_"But-but... why've I never seen him? You've never mentioned your **dad**." Peter felt bewildered, rattled, and at the same time, somewhat nervous and excited too._

_What did Nadia's dad look like?_

_Who was he?_

_Would he recognize him from somewhere?_

_What did he want?_

_Nadia had only ever mentioned her mom and grandmother when it came to her family. Sometimes her grandfather. Never her dad. Why was that?_

_He wasn't a **supervillain** was he? Something in him shuddered, remembering the moment he found out the Vulture's identity._

_And why-_

_"Mr. Stark simply wants her to test out the suit he has been working on." Vision said simply._

_Peter's frantic thoughts ground to an abrupt stop, "Wait. **What**?"_

_"What?" Nadia raised her brow, now concerned about Peter._

_"Hey, Sabrina!" Tony grinned, standing beside a tall glass cylinder that contained what looked like a mannequin. The details were hidden behind tinted glass. "Hey there, kid. Wait. What's with the face?" He approached the two of his proteges, frowning slightly._

_He stopped beside Nadia and raised a brow._

_Peter blinked slowly, eyes switching from his mentor to his friend._

_The times Mister Stark would act all worried or over the top for Nadia flashed through his head._

_He didn't baby Nadia sometimes because he was just her protege…_

_Suddenly the similarity of the man and young woman's expressions hit him and his thoughts jump-started again._

_"Mister Stark's your dad?" He managed to rasp out, air not properly filling his lungs._

_Tony's brows furrowed even more and his frown deepened for a split second. Then he placed a hand on his chest, shock on his face, "You didn't tell the Spiderling? And I thought you tell each other everything." He tsked, before turning around and going to his lab table. "I think we should have pizza for lunch. I'm feeling meat lovers."_

_Nadia could sense it, even if Tony hid it well. The man was disappointed._

_Now Nadia felt guilty, "Tony, I-"_

_The man raised a finger and pointed to the mannequin, "Take that for a spin while we wait for the food. I need to make a call."_

_How did she get into this situation? She huffed out a breath._

_"Why didn't you say anything, Nadia?" Even Peter looked a bit hurt. They did tell each other everything. Why did she keep this from him?_

_"I wasn't hiding… it's not- It's just-" She groaned and sat heavily on a stool. She felt bad… it felt like she had let down two people she cared a lot about, even if she didn't really do anything. Yeah… she didn't tell, but…_

_"I've grown up my entire life without a father figure," she glanced at Peter._

_"I… Well… How do I put this? When you lost your parents, and your uncle and aunt took you in," She squeezed the teen's arm when he seemed to withdraw at the mention of his lost family members. "Did you ever come to call them "mom" or "dad"?"_

_The teen shook his head._

_Vision nodded slowly, "This would be… strange? Yes?"_

_"Yeah… Even if Tony's my actual biological dad, it's still a bit weird for me you know? I only got to know him a year ago and I'm 27." Nadia sighed._

_"Which would make it even more difficult for you to accept," The android continued to analyze._

_"That may be the case for some, but it's not that, Vision. I've known about Tony being my dad since I was a kid. He's great and everything. I just don't want him to feel like he's obligated to take responsibility for me. And…" Her eyebrows scrunched together, a thought coming to life in her head, "I guess it never occurred to me to tell anyone, because… Well, I guess as weird as it is having a dad, it felt natural enough not to need an announcement. It's just a simple truth for me, Peter. Tony's my dad." She said the last sentence a little breathlessly like she had a revelation._

_She'd never really said it out loud before. "He's my dad." Her voice was soft but a bit stronger._

_Peter smiled at her, his own hurt gone and realizing that he probably made Nadia feel a bit guilty. "Maybe you should tell Mister Stark that." He suggested, pushing her back gently. When the two looked at the man who was supposedly on his phone, they caught him looking back before he quickly turned to the ceiling to continue hashing out a request to FRIDAY._

_"I-" Nadia hesitated._

_Peter made a grab for her hand and took the first step, "Come on." He gave her an encouraging smile and tugged._

_The young woman took a deep breath, nodding and letting the teen pull her to her dad._

* * *

**A/N: The one-shots and flashbacks are much easier for me to write than actual Infinity war/ Endgame plot. Any suggestions? Thoughts? I'd love to hear from you. I need some fuel for my muse, because this story is not cooperating well with me.**

**'Til Next time~**


	4. Chapter 4

Anya's breath caught in her throat when the herculean shadow loomed over their craft. They needed to escape-

A large explosion made the ship rock and she stumbled. A pale hand snatched her arm to steady her. Her ice blue eyes met sharp green, both trying to hide the bit of fear in them.

"What is this?! Heimdall!" Thor thundered out of the room, intent on finding the dark skinned man or maybe the Valkyrie Brunhilde. More explosions echoed around them.

"Thanos." Loki didn't let his voice shake, "You need to go." He looked at the woman beside him, his face smooth.

She glared at the trickster. "No."

He sighed, "He knows you. He will snuff you out for my failure on earth." Loki's expression turned stern.

Anya shook her head once, "I've neglected you for far too long. I was supposed to _help_ you, though many times you've told me otherwise. Still, I was actually barely able to anything when the dark elves came. So, I ran Asgard with you until your brother broke the facade. I am _not_ going to run the moment you need me the most standing at your side."

"You would _die_ at my side?" Loki was not able to hide the almost imperceptible tremble in his words.

Anya opened her mouth to respond once more when screams sounded down the hall.

Too late.

Her hand found his and she squeezed, her eyes shining. They ran down the corridor side by side.

She had prepared for this.

When Thor requested her, though it sounded more like an order, to open a portal to Earth, she was ready. Though Ragnarok had been the end of her foreknowledge and end of her obligation, she still felt responsible. However, she could fight _freely_ now.

So she opened that portal and ushered the terrified Asgardians and gladiators of Sakaar through. She could save them. She'd drag everyone through. She'd drag Loki-

A smoky blue grey cloud formed in the middle of the communal deck of the ship.

_No._

_Not yet!_

She'd only gotten barely half of the refugees through.

"Keep the portal open. I'll get as many I can to you." Brunhilde growled, readying her sword. The Valkyrie charged the aliens that were coming through the other gateway.

Anya nodded, fighting off other monsters who got too close.

She heard various battle cries, the clash of weapons, the ring of steel, and the enormous crunches and blows that came from Thor, Loki, Heimdall, and the Hulk fighting.

But she knew it wouldn't be enough. Not against a _titan_. They had to leave. She had seen a few glimpses into the start of this war and had drawn her own conclusions and assumptions. Thanos would claim the space stone. That meant-

"Loki!"

Her eyes were desperate when they caught his. She looked to her own portal then back at him.

They couldn't save everyone.

But she could save _him_-

Then through the smoky blue mist, stepped a tall, grey skinned alien in dark clothing. He was followed by three more.

The children of Thanos.

Ebony Maw saw her and stood straight, a smile on his face that made her shiver. "A human that wields magic? That is new."

Fear was bubbling in her and skyrocketed when she heard the thump of heavy boots that could only belong to-

"Mighty Thanos," Maw bowed, as did the other three.

There wasn't time to freeze.

She had prepared for this.

Anya had gotten half the refugees through the portal when an unseen force pulled her roughly away. Brunhilde had pushed the last few she could through the gateway before it snapped shut behind her, leaving the Valkyrie on earth.

Anya was now suspended before Ebony Maw, stiff as a board. "I'm afraid I cannot let you take any more away."

Her eyes widened at the realization that she had only been able to save the half she could because Maw had _allowed_ it. A cold sweat began at her brow. Maw turned and nodded at his three other counterparts… Then the massacre happened.

Everyone left was slaughtered while Anya had to watch, horrified, from her invisible prison.

The screams, grunts and death cries were deafening until everything slowly went eerily quiet.

Proxima Midnight and Cull Obsidian stood by Loki while Corvus Glaive went around checking bodies, stabbing and finishing off anybody who was still breathing.

Maw stepped over corpses, approaching Thanos and making a speech while Anya floated helplessly behind him. When the titan turned he looked at the trapped woman, noticing how Loki's gaze flickered to her. "Ah, is this your pet, trickster?"

Loki simply scoffed. The fingers of his left hand twitched.

Thanos smiled, "Well then, more choices for you. You are lucky." He looked to Thor who was groaning at his feet. "We'll start with your brother's head." He picked up the god of thunder's skull easily in one hand. "That, or the tesseract. I'm sure you have a preference." The titan clenched the hand that wore the golden gauntlet, bringing it closer to Thor's temple.

The god of mischief swallowed, straightening his stance, "Kill away." He said bluntly.

However, he wasn't prepared for his brother's screams of pain. It took only several seconds for Loki to yell, "Stop!" And hesitantly reveal the tesseract in his hand.

_No!_

Anya struggled, forcing her hands slowly behind her back.

Thanos crushed the cube and blew away the fragments that didn't matter.

She just needed one burst. Just _one_.

When the Hulk charged Thanos, the distraction was enough for her to break free of Maw's hold. As she tumbled away, the alien thought it inconsequential as she didn't really pose a threat to him or his master.

Anya opened another portal that brought her crouching by Loki and Thor. The god of thunder struggled upright, fighting the dizziness and pain that was crippling him after having his head almost crushed, and grabbed a large piece of metal. Loki made to grab for his brother, but Anya snatched for the dark-haired god first.

"Loki," she whispered, feeling fire build up in her veins and her arms being weighted down. Pain that told her that what she was planning was essentially wrong.

_Like_ _hell_.

"Anya?" Loki questioned. Concern seeped into his voice when he saw her wince.

The woman smiled, though it was more of a sad grimace as they locked eyes. Reading her intentions, he made to move. However, before he could make a single step, she shoved him through a portal she'd quietly conjured behind him and snapped it shut the moment he was on the other side.

She fought against the pain that wracked her body and stood. The fire in her blood was scorching, but she wouldn't let this universe tell her what she could and couldn't do anymore. A wave of magic washing from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

She had prepared for this.

* * *

Nadia was wiping down a table in the cafe she still worked at. Two years and she must have been doing something right because Hannah didn't mind when she had to call in last minute emergencies and leaves. Well… the young woman made sure to somehow make up for those times with overtime, double shifts, and covering for some of the employees who suddenly had their own emergencies or just didn't show up for a shift.

It was mostly quiet today… until it wasn't.

A strange hum vibrated through the air. People were suddenly gawking at their phones and looked in the same direction outside.

Just as she was going to go outside to check it out herself, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

**::Peter: 911 Manhattan ::**

Her fellow employees rushed outside, wanting to check too. With them distracted, she didn't waste any time going into the back room and opening a portal to the New York Sanctum.

It had to be something big if Peter didn't send a more specific location and-

The strange hum became louder as she stepped onto polished wooden floors. The first thing she noticed was the hole in the main stairs and the main window of the place that was shattered into pieces. Despite that, the Sanctum was empty. It was _never_ empty.

She was going to ask the Doctor if maybe-

Something flew past the street outside.

When she spell-switched into her robes, she went through the sanctum's double doors and saw Spiderman swing past.

**::Where are you, Sabrina?::** Tony's voice came through the communicator in her mask as soon as it fully materialized on her face.

"Bleecker Street. I've got eyes on Peter." She responded, conjuring another portal to bring her closer.

**::Good. Give him a hand. Keep the wizard's necklace away from the aliens.::** She could hear slams, grunts and repulsor blasts in the background, but she had to trust that the man could judge if he did or didn't need back up.

She had basically tried to play catch up, trying to get to the web-slinger who was trying to get to the wizard.

The female magic-user only got close enough to use a telekinetic spell to grab hold of her crime fighting partner by the waist when he was snatched up by a blue ray of light that came down from the spacecraft.

"Peter!" She huffed. She could feel the pull of the tractor beam increasing in power.

**::I'm getting beamed up!::** He reached down with his free arm, fingers grasping at the empty air as though it would somehow help keep him anchored, **::Nadia!::**

"I-I've got you! Tony!" She cried out for help.

**::Just a sec, sweetie-::** The man grunted in reply, finishing his own battle.

Nadia yelped when the alien ship fired at her, causing her spell to snap and her to tumble twenty feet to the ground.

Peter called after her again, seeing her fall.

"I'm-" she felt disoriented but, "I'm okay."

Amid the chaos, she glimpsed her father blast to catch up to the ship. It was starting back towards space.

_No!_

Her arms were shaky as she pushed herself up from the ground. That ship could only be headed for Titan. She would not let her father and her best friend fight without more help. They needed all they could get.

The young woman tried her hand at conjuring a portal while she still had eyes on the alien ship, but she only got some sparks before they sputtered out.

She forced herself to stand, "Peter, are you still on that ship?!"

Two beeps were heard before he replied, **::Mister Stark needs back-up. I need to stay here.::** The beeps meant Tony wouldn't hear. He thought he'd sent Spiderboy packing.

**::Sabs, don't you even think of coming up here. I've got it handled.::** The man warned.

"But-" Another beep cut her off.

**:: Mister Stark is on a call with the missus.::** Jacks informed.

"Wait. Peter!" She turned her focus back on the young man.

**::Mister Stark's right. We've got it handled.::** His voice on the comms was starting to get softer and static-y.

She yelled out angrily, "He doesn't even- No! I should be there, Peter!"

**::Nadia… nt wor….. ery…ing's go… alri… I pro-::**

**::Lost connection. Kid's outta range. Sorry, little lady.::** Jacks was apologetic. That was the first time Nadia ever heard the AI sound genuinely sorry.

"No. He can't-" Nadia fell to her knees, a memory of Thanos slamming Spiderman into brown stone making her breathe hard.

_I promise._

"He… I…" He didn't know just how hard it would be to keep this one.

**::Nadia, listen to me, alright? Breathe, girl. Breathe.::**

She needed to be there. She had to be-

A hand grasped her shoulder.

"Nadia, are you hurt?"

_Wong._

She shook her head and swallowed. The familiar voice, even one she hadn't heard for a while, helped anchor her.

"Just- Just a bump." She explained when he touched a shallow gash on her head.

**::Try slightly concussed.::** Jacks informed.

"Come. We can tend to it at the Sanctum." The sorcerer opened a portal, and just as he stepped through it, another voice called out.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

Nadia glanced over her shoulder and gaped.

There stood a ruffled looking Bruce Banner.

"Without the sorcerer supreme, the sanctum remains unguarded. I need to keep it safe." Wong explained to the man, "What will you do?"

The good doctor shuffled slightly, "I… I'm gonna make a call."

Nadia stood a few feet away from the portal looking at him… and he looked back. His brow furrowed slightly like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Then he turned to the phone in his hands.

"Will you go with him?" Wong asked from across the circular threshold to the Sanctum, as though sensing her indecision.

"I…" Nadia looked back at Bruce who was stunned that someone had picked up on the other end.

If she went with Wong, she could try to look up some way to get to Peter. She'd promised to watch over him after all.

But… Bruce needed some direction, right? She could return to the Sanctum once he was set. She couldn't just leave him looking so lost.

"Yes."

Wong nodded once, before closing the portal, sparks dissipating.

Bruce was running a hand through his hair again, looking anxious and agitated. "We need to find him, Steve. Tony said you were the only one who could." The man nodded at some words exchanged that Nadia couldn't hear. Then it was done.

He snapped the phone shut, stuffing it in his pocket rubbing his hands on his face.

_What was next?_

"Uhmmm… Doctor Banner." Nadia stepped forward. She knew it was a little uncharacteristic of her to be so soft-spoken and cautious.

"Oh, hi! Are you…" the man watched the young woman breathe in to steady herself, "You work with Wong and Strange?"

Nadia smiled. The gesture eased both hers and Banner's nerves. "Sort of. I studied under Wong when I was younger." She stepped forward and held out her hand, "Nadia."

"Bruce. But you knew that." They shook hands. "I saw you trying to help out the other hero… You're an… Avenger then?" He ventured.

Nadia shook her head. "I just partner with Tony's protege."

People were starting to trickle out onto the street now that things had calmed down.

"That's- That's perfect! You can help me out." His shoulders sagged in relief, feeling a little less lost.

"Of course. Come on. We should get out of here before there are too many people."

"To the tower?" The doctor turned in the direction of the former Avengers tower.

Nadia chuckled slightly, "Tony sold the building two years ago. There's a new facility upsate."

"Sold?" The words hit Banner a bit hard. It made it real just how long he'd been gone. He watched the young woman swing her arm in a circle, just like Wong and Strange, before a portal opened.

"Yeah. Come on, doctor. I'll get you caught up." She reached out a hand and smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure Rhodey would be ecstatic to see you." The promise of a familiar face was definitely a comforting idea. For both of them.

He followed her through the ring of sparks into a lobby area that had some similarities to the interior of the old Avengers tower. The man paused when he noticed the bit of blood on her temple and the way she clutched at her shoulder. "Maybe I can look over that too."

* * *

"You're an Avenger now, kid."

Peter's chest puffed up and he stood straighter. Those had been the words he wanted to hear for a long time. He instinctively looked to his left, grinning. But when he was met with an empty space, his expression faltered slightly.

He always thought Nadia would be right there the moment he finally became an Avenger.

It kind of sucked that she wasn't and that he couldn't just tell her right now, but at least he could tell her face to face when they got back to Earth.

He'd have a cool, badass alien battle to tell her about. They'd be even too because she'd told him how she fought in New York. And now they'd both gone to space!

She'd totally freak.

And she'd be incredibly proud.

He couldn't wait to tell her all about it.

* * *

Renny had been numb the whole day. The woman had woken up with a start while the sun was just barely peeking over the horizon. Her chest was heavy. Something felt utterly wrong. Or ominous.

That morning, Bucky had simply been stacking sacks of wood chips and animal feed outside of their shack. She'd walked to him, placing a hand on his shoulder to coax him into taking a break with her so they could talk when T'Challa came with a group of Wakandan warriors.

"Buck…" she squeezed his flesh arm and he looked down at her. Her agitation had stayed for hours. The contact was a balm for her anxiety especially since it had been a while that he allowed her to touch him since their fight.

True. They'd been in almost domestic bliss for over a year. However, the last few months were difficult. Something made Renny jumpy and nervous. She woke up in the middle of the night because of nightmares. Some nights, she couldn't sleep at all. Still, Bucky had always been there to assure her that everything was alright. To comfort her and calm her down from her shakes. She'd always been there for him when he was coming to terms with his time with HYDRA, as the Winter Soldier, and the decades that had passed while he was in and out of cryo.

One of the warriors held a long case. He snapped it open and a vibranium prosthetic arm lay within.

Bucky nodded, resigned, knowing that he was again needed to fight.

T'Challa nodded in return and informed him that Shuri would be in her lab to do some final calibrations. Bucky looked behind him to see that Renny had slunk back into their shared abode.

He took the case gratefully and followed the woman. There she was, hunched and hands grasping at the edge of a table as she gasped.

"It's _here_. It's- It's time and I- I'm not... not ready."

Bucky hesitated for a moment before he placed the case on a chair near the entrance and carefully stepped up beside the shaking woman. He put his own hand on her shoulder, "Renny… is this the… the war you've been having nightmares about?"

Renny had started talking in her sleep during her nightmares, which had lead to Bucky finally asking the question she always dreaded, "Who's Thanos?"

Fuck it. She couldn't hide this anymore. She'd answered him as best as she could then. That she had spent her life preparing for when he would arrive, making sure that earth would have every possible protector fighting. "It was why I started protecting you and Steve. I-I… I knew about him… becoming Captain America." _That he would be twisted into the Winter Soldier. _She'd told him three weeks ago.

The admission had lead to more questions, conclusions, tensions, arguments, and a large fight. They were just starting to fix things a few days back but the tension between them had yet to fully resolve.

She'd vowed that as long as she was capable, she wouldn't hide anything from Bucky anymore. All he needed to do was ask. So she did her best so her voice wouldn't shake, "Y-Yes. We're going into the Infinity War."

The fear in her eyes. The trepidation in her body. She radiated nothing but worry and concern about what was going to happen. She started shaking again as she wrapped her arms around herself. "_He's coming_."

Bucky'd been confused and angry and hurt when he'd first learned about her purpose for becoming a guardian and pushed her away.

How the fuck could someone just stand back and let shit happen? Let people suffer? _Die_?

But now that he'd had some time to process and from just looking at her state knowing what she had always feared had finally come, he understood somewhat. Maybe her initial goal was to keep everything in place, but she'd come to think of her charges as true friends. People who mattered to her. And it was because they mattered so much to her she had to stand by at times.

There had to be some kind of light at the end of the tunnel. Hence, knowing the path to it, she'd lived her life terrified that anything she did would alter that path and trap them in the dark or lead them to fall into a deep inescapable pit.

No fight or misunderstanding was worth having her sad and feeling alone. Especially now. Not if what she believed was about to happen was coming to pass. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to his chest.

"We'll get through this, Sunshine."

She sagged into his hold, the endearment coming from him after weeks of cool acknowledgment breaking the dam. She sobbed hard and held onto him tightly as though he would disappear.

"You've prepared for decades."

* * *

**A/N: Going into the war now. I somewhat had a plan for this story, but when I was typing it out, it started to take on a life of its own. Not sure where it's going now. I have a couple of chapters down, but I'm going to write a bit more before I start posting to see if the current plot I have written is actually going somewhere that makes sense. Anyway... Thoughts? Suggestions? I'd love to hear/ read from you. **


	5. Chapter 5

**_14 months before Thanos_**

* * *

_"These are really beautiful, Tony." Nadia ran her fingers over the hood of one of his sports cars. The man had moved some of them to the Avengers compound to have something else to tinker on aside from his suits. Well... Pepper was the one who did it. She didn't want her fiance to only have Avengers and Iron Man things to work on._

_"You can take that out for a spin around the compound, you know," the man looked up from the work Peter was doing on the engine of another car. They'd taken a break from working on upgrades for Karen. "Just don't scratch it."_

_Nadia cleared her throat, "I cooked lunch. Just some chicken fried rice. Rhodey's gonna eat it all if you take too long."_

_Peter rolled out from underneath the engine, stomach growling, "Food! Man, I didn't realize we spent that long on the engines." The teen hopped up and grabbed a rag to wipe the grease off his fingers. Eagerly, he trotted up the stairs while Nadia turned to follow. Tony raised his eyebrow at the young woman who glanced back at him when he lingered behind slightly._

_"What? I can cook you know-"_

_"Do you know how to drive?" Tony asked bluntly._

_Nadia looked away, "Food's gonna get cold."_

_Tony walked to his work table, "Simple question, Sabs."_

_She sighed, "Lunch?" Before turning and walking for the stairs._

_"Okay, red or blue?" Was Tony's response after a moment._

_The question made Nadia pause on the steps and turn back around, "What?"_

_"Blue it is!" He grinned holding up a set of keys and walking towards an Audi that was a said dark blue._

_The young woman gulped, "Tony I…"_

_"Don't worry! It's like riding a bike."_

* * *

_"How is he?"_

_"He's doing well."_

_There was a pause. "I am glad. He deserves some happiness in his life. Despite my mistakes and what he may believe, I simply wanted what was best for him." He looked at the seriousness that seemed permanent on the woman's face. She had no response for his comment and simply steered the conversation somewhere else._

_She had been visiting the Allfather several times over the past months at the retirement home Loki had deposited him in._

_"I would like to thank you for your advice regarding the council last time. Loki finally got them to settle somewhat." She conjured some tea and placed it on the table in the room._

_Odin reached for it and took a quiet sip. "Of course. Should there be any other issues overseeing Asgard, you only need ask."_

_Anya nodded, but let out a long breath, "If he ever finds out that you are the secret behind my skills in placating the council, he'll skin me alive." She rubbed her temple with two fingers._

_The Allfather chuckled at the tic that the woman had seemed to have copied from his second son. He also had no doubt that the trickster already had some kind of inkling, "And yet you still come to me for advice."_

_A sigh, "Loki's wit is razor-sharp, more than fit for a king. However, some of the best solutions can still be found in experience and wisdom." She paused, holding her own teacup, but not taking a sip, "And I... I want what's best for him too."_

_The old man's lips curved into a soft smile. "Then Asgard is in good hands."_

* * *

_When she returned, Heimdall gave Anya an easy smile. "How was your visit to Midgard?"_

_"Good." The woman shrugged. "My horse?"_

_The gatekeeper merely nodded to the bridge where a mare, black as night, stood pawing the ground, as though eager to run._

_"It is lucky that Sombra will let you ride her. Loki used to be the only one she would even let near." Heimdall said eyebrow raised._

_"She's still temperamental. The Allfather believes if I learn to cope with her unpredictability, I will be able to ride any horse." Anya recited dutifully, though the dark-skinned man could sense the hint of aggravation in her tone._

_The truth was, Loki had, as Odin, told the stable master that his horse would be the only horse Anya would be allowed to ride. The god of mischief thought it funny when he found out the woman was not exactly comfortable riding horseback._

_"Just a bit of fun," He had said months ago, "This one will keep you on your toes. Yes, Sombra?" He pet the mare's snout, "But she won't buck you off." It was almost like he was directing that last sentence at the horse. In response, Sombra flipped her mane and snorted. _

_The pinched expression on Anya's face when Loki helped her on the steed, who danced a bit on her hooves, made the trickster laugh. "What better way to overcome your fears than facing them head-on?"_

_She wanted to say something snippy, but Loki knew she wouldn't. She couldn't. Because he was still in the guise of the Allfather and there were several stable hands who lingered in case the skittish mare did buck her off. It made the mischievous grin on Odin's face grew and Anya wondered how it was possible that she was the only one to know that the expression definitely belonged to someone else._

_"You will be alright," he said, stepping away and swinging easily onto his own horse's, Sleipnir's, saddle. The eight-legged horse pawed at the ground, eager to be out of the stables. "We will return by nightfall." He'd informed the stable hands before galloping off. Anya had had to hurry to follow._

_"The Allfather awaits your return at the balcony of the royal suites," Heimdall informed as Anya hopped up and settled onto Sombra's saddle. The woman nodded and looked at the gatekeeper, "Thank you again for your services-" before she could finish, the mare tore down the rainbow bridge like a demon-possessed, back in the direction of the palace. Anya screamed and grabbed the saddle horn, holding on for dear life. It took everything in her not to verbally yell out Loki's name when she heard his laughter in her head._

_Sombra whinnied in what almost sounded like an amused cackle as the bridge rushed by underneath her hooves._

* * *

_"I'm guessing it didn't go well?" Peter looked at Happy who was beside him, watching Nadia walk, you could say stalk, away from the car and Tony trying to call her back from the passenger seat._

_"No," The man sighed._

_Peter was torn between going to his friend or his mentor to offer some sort of comfort. It was Happy who made the decision for him._

_"Hey, I'll try talking to Sparkles this time. Go talk to the big boss," he suggested after a moment before turning to look for the disgruntled young woman. The teen nodded and waited for Tony who was walking toward him._

_"Well, that was a bust. What say we work on a few upgrades for your suit?" The billionaire brushed his hands on his pants when he reached the boy. _

_Peter put a smile on his face, "Sounds great, Mister Stark. I have a few ideas." He would have suggested food since the inventor hadn't eaten yet, but work was a better distraction._

* * *

_"So, the boss grill you? You were on the tarmac with the Audi for just an hour and a half." Happy found Nadia in one of the training rooms, blasting the crap out of a row of targets with her magic._

_The young woman huffed, "Well, apparently I'm not exactly a person Stark would want behind the wheel even in an emergency."_

_Happy winced and mentally shook his head. Tony and his jokes. He'd seen the car from the upper floor of the facility. Several false starts and stops, and the car died a few times. Not too horrible, he thought. She did manage to drive once around the tarmac, though a bit slowly, before the engine died again. She was probably nervous and was fumbling with the clutch._

_"Yeah, I know he was probably joking around, but it kind of got to me. I'm supposed to be a Stark. Shouldn't I be good at this stuff? God knows when it comes to tech too, I'm pretty lost." Letting out a gruff breath, she launched one more attack at a target, a satisfying crunch coming from the metal._

_"Sparkles, Tony has the kid for that," he tossed her a bottle of water and a paper bag. "Though most of the time we wish stuff like that really does get passed down so easily, that's not always the case."_

_Nadia took a big gulp of water before peeking into the bag. "Cheeseburger?" Though she was still obviously tense, she unwrapped it and bit into the burger with gusto. "But driving, Happy! Driving!" She took another bite, "Figures proving the stereotype that women are bad drivers." She groaned, realizing she had been ranting with a half-chewed burger in her mouth._

_"Whoah, slow down there." Happy urged, not just trying to halt her from putting herself down, but from attacking the burger again and choking. "Like I said, you were behind the wheel for barely two hours. You can't expect to be able to drive NASCAR in that time frame."_

_Nadia groaned in defeat and swallowed, "I know, Happy. But Tony was just so eager to get me driving like a speed demon..." She bit into her burger again and chewed slowly, contemplative this time._

_"Hey, you grew up with magic. Tony was surrounded by tech since he was a baby. Being techy isn't what's in the Stark blood, it's being a genius. You're a genius at the magic stuff, aren't you?"_

_Nadia chuckled, remembering how Wong always said she grasped her lessons quite quickly and didn't take very long to understand and soon master spells, "Well… Maybe… but I'm no sorcerer supreme."_

_Happy smiled, "There it is."_

_Nadia took one more bite of the cheeseburger before putting it down, "Hey… Happy?"_

_"Yeah, Sparkles?"_

_She swallowed, "I still want to learn how to drive, though."_

_The man nodded, "Just not with Tony?" It was more a statement than a question. He was familiar with the feeling of not wanting to disappoint Tony Stark._

_"Yeah… no." Nadia shook her head slowly, "Even if I'd love this to be a thing with him, it's something I totally don't know and he's just really good at it." Her hand scratched at the back of her neck. "I guess... it makes me kinda... nervous? Maybe once I get a hold of the basics, I can try again with Tony." She shrugged, still somewhat embarrassed about the request. Her dad really was so eager, she wanted to be able to show him that she could do it._

_It was Happy's turn to chuckle, "Sure, Sparkles. At least finish your burger first, it's almost 4."_

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it's been a while. My AU is giving me a bit of a hard time since action scenes are not really my forte and I'm trying to fix my schedule at work. Yup, finally got a job. Haha. Any other scenes you want to see in the flashbacks? Like some incidents the characters may have mentioned or history you might want expanded on? Other comments? Suggestions? Criticisms? I'd love to know your thoughts. Thank you again to all my readers for sticking with this story and for those who took the time to drop a review.**

**'Til next time~**


	6. Chapter 6

Doctor Banner had indeed been with her mother before arriving on earth. The thing was, he was sent off the ship they were on before he could see what happened to her or the two Asgardians.

He'd been transported to the relative safety of earth while the others were left to the mercy of the titan- _Thanos_.

The moment she heard that bit of news, Nadia shook.

She didn't know the status of her father and her best friend. Now, she finds out that her mother and her teacher were last seen to face mortal peril.

_Too much._

It was _too_ much.

She _needed_ to do something.

"I- I need to go." She whispered.

Bruce had seen the color drain from the young woman's face and the terror spark in her eyes.

"Hey- Hey!" Bruce held her by the shoulders when she tried to get up on shaky knees. "Easy."

Her mother and Loki.

Tony and Peter.

_Peter…_

She realized she was gasping with how heavy her chest felt. "I- I… I _can't_-"

Bruce saw her beginning to spiral and put his hands on her cheeks, forcing the young woman to look into his own dark eyes. "Nadia! You need to _breathe_!" He said firmly before inhaling and exhaling deeply and slowly.

After a few more gasping breaths, Nadia took a slightly slower, shaky breath before matching the doctor's breathing pace.

"That's it… There you go." He said gently.

Hazel eyes meant warm brown.

"I need to go, doctor." She repeated simply. "Thank you for your help." She said numbly.

Bruce shook his head, "No… No. Steve is on his way back with Vision. You should stay." The doctor was somewhat concerned that her slight concussion would worsen if something happened to her when she left. That and his news of not knowing what happened to her mother had obviously shaken her.

"He's right, Sailor Moon. If we stay together, we can work on a plan of action." Rhodey appeared at the infirmary doorway. Honestly, he wanted to keep Tony's daughter in his sights since his best friend had taken an impromptu trip to space.

"Just g-give me a painkiller. I'll be okay." Nadia waved her hand, "I won't- I won't be able to do much here." Not waiting idly. Besides, it was Captain America who was the strategist, not her. There were still a few hours before he and the others got to the facility.

Rhodey sighed and nodded in defeat. "Okay." The young woman was as stubborn as her father. He knew he wouldn't be able to change her mind about this. "You watch yourself, Nadia." He hugged her tightly and pulled away, holding both her shoulders firmly, "Stay safe."

She had to get to work.

"Sure." She said tersely, flinching at her own short response. "I- I will." Her fingers twitched, but she curled them into fists as she bit her lip. She gave the man one more brief but tight hug, needing some assurance that at least one of the people important to her was currently safe.

Turning around, she conjured a portal and stepped through without looking back.

* * *

The figure gasped awake, their breath coming out as fog in the dimness.

How long had they lost consciousness?

Sitting up, their hand flew to their wrist. With a small bit of focus, a mark appeared on their skin.

The Norse rune for grace.

Devastation cut through them when they saw it was a faded grey instead of an inky black. An angry and anguished yell left their lips.

"I'll _kill_ him."

* * *

_This._

This had to be it.

Finding the spell she needed had taken longer than she anticipated. Nadia had not asked for help from Wong. He and the rest of the sorcerers of Kamar Taj were too focused on fortifying the sanctums in light of Doctor Strange's absence. She couldn't pull them away from that.

Tony had said not to follow.

To hell with that.

Not only was she going so she could help her father, but she was also going to protect Peter. She took up _his_ fate from the archives. Though her foreknowledge was practically spent, she still felt responsible. And what kind of a daughter or friend would she be if she didn't help them simply because she cared?

She was also following one of the main Outsider's rules. When the war came, Nadia and her mother had to focus on their charges and _theirs_ alone. Renny, the founding Outsider, was the overall guardian. The eldest Capelli did not want her girls to shoulder the weight of having to think of the fate of so many.

Nadia took the book she had found and stepped to the lobby of the New York Sanctum. This would take some substantial focus for her. She was no sorcerer supreme, even with Loki's training.

"You're not leaving without me, are you?"

The young woman turned and gasped.

"Loki!" She ran and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He was safe. So that could only mean-

The god of mischief did not return hugs, but this time, he put a light hand on her back. "Nadia…" he said softly, as though knowing what she was about to ask.

She jumped back as though burned, "No…"

"Thanos attacked our ship…"

"_No_…" Her knees buckled and fell to her hands, tears of denial flowing down her cheeks. Nadia grit her teeth and swiped away her tears before Loki could do anything. "_Help me_."

With Loki, the spell would be much easier. Other than that, they would likely be jumping into a battle. If they were going to face Thanos, every helping hand counted.

The god nodded solemnly.

The two stood side by side and Nadia plucked a hair from her head. They both took a deep breath. Loki mirrored her gestures as she stretched her arms in front of her, an arcane circle flared to life around her, then Loki, before one line connected them both. The yellow sparks burned pale green before a portal of the same color slowly formed in front of them.

* * *

Renny watched the quinjet land slowly. Bucky gave her arm a squeeze before he walked forward to greet those disembarking.

Was that James Barnes? Steve's best friend from the 40's? How was he here? God, he had so much to catch up on. Bruce watched Steve exchange a few words with his friend before a new figure walked up and hugged Steve tightly.

"Good to see you're patching things up with Buck, Bangles." The Captain had heard of their fight, though he never sought any details. The two were stubborn and would solve it on their own, he'd get the story when they decided to tell him.

Bruce cocked his head at the new female face. Something seemed a bit familiar, even if he didn't really know anyone with silvery hair and grey hair. But when he looked closely- "Anya? You're-"

The woman cocked her own head while Steve half-turned and introduced her, "This is Renny, Bruce."

She stepped forward, holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Doctor." They shared a brief handshake.

"The stories will have to wait though, we have some work to do." Steve nodded at Vision who was already being lead up to the building where the labs were.

"I-" Bruce cut himself off. A rushed explanation would be rude and this woman had to be related to the ally he had made on Sakaar, right? They were almost twins!

_Later._

He promised himself. When he had time to give her a proper recounting of what had happened and what he knew.

Steve and the others had made their way to the labs. Bucky was one of those who stayed on the ground. Renny stayed as well. She wanted to hear the plan, but Steve reminded her that her magic didn't exactly blend well with infinity stone energy. Who knew what could happen if she stayed in the room where they would try to extract one? She didn't argue.

Away from the planning, she went back over Bruce's reaction to her. The shock on his face.

It made a chill run down her spine.

_Anya._

She looked at Bucky who was in a one-sided conversation with Sam. He seemed calm enough.

She couldn't jump to conclusions or she'd break down and Bucky would lose focus on this fight worrying about her.

As callous as it may have sounded, Renny had no time to worry about Anya or Nadia right now. She'd always told her girls that each of them had their own missions and that worrying about someone else's would do nothing but weigh them down. Right now, her mission was to protect the mind stone. When Thanos came and she could figure out just _how many_ stones he really had, she could decide on how to move forward.

Anya was last with Thor and Loki. The founding Outsider had seen a few trailers for Infinity War before she landed here. The Guardians would find Thor. So there was still a chance. But… Anya took up Loki's fate, not Thor's. She could only hope that Thor's survival meant his brother's own and therefore her daughter's.

Nadia was definitely finding her way to Peter. She'd find her way to Titan… and face to face with Thanos. Tony, Peter, Strange, the Guardians… They would need all the help they could get.

At least here, she was surrounded by warriors and fighters.

A deafening crash and explosion sounded as something collided with the shield that covered Wakanda's main city. Everyone looked up and watched as the thing from space fell to pieces against the powerful shield.

"God, I love this place." Bucky breathed.

Steve and the others emerged from the lab and calls were being issued for people to get on board the numerous transports to take them from the city to the open fields.

* * *

When Doctor Strange looked into the alternate outcomes of this war, something was, well for lack of a better word, _strange_.

There was one possibility that showed them winning, but it was blurry and some images seemed to be overlapping. So he guessed there were probably two winning routes. Maybe three.

Three out of more than fourteen million possibilities.

He just had to make sure one of them happened.

Peter was _floored_ when he heard the wizard tell them the odds.

How could they stand a chance?

Still… the chances would be zero if they didn't try at all... and they'd try their_ damndest_.

And they were trying their damndest, and it was the most in sync that the teen thought he could fight with complete strangers.

This was one of the most important fights he'd ever take part in. The one with the highest stakes.

Fighting alongside Doctor Strange was familiar because he'd partnered with Nadia for almost two years. So jumping in and out of portals wasn't disorienting.

He'd just disappeared through another portal after delivering several kicks to the purple monster when his senses tingled.

Surprisingly, it wasn't warning him of danger, but something familiar.

Peter's gaze snapped in the direction pointed by his spider-sense and saw sparks tinted green.

Green… Nadia said her magic could be powerful but very unstable when it burned that shade.

He expected to see her familiar face, but there were only blurs that shimmered and disappeared before the portal shut behind them.

Several streaks of magic hit the Titan's back, making him turn to search for the source. Another barrage of magical projectiles hit him from the opposite side. He growled in annoyance. Sensing something, his right hand shot to his side and fisted. An illusion broke like the shattering of glass and Thanos had his fingers around a slender throat.

Hands grabbed his forearm and hazel eyes looked at him with rage more than fear.

Bones could have easily been snapped, but a snarl appeared on the woman's face.

"You killed my mother."

In response, he only raised a brow. It was illogical to think that Thanos would take note of her mother among the countless lives he had snuffed out, still, the expression only made Nadia's blood boil over. She screamed and hit his arm with both of hers.

For one split second… Thanos saw his favored daughter.

A split second of distraction was all that was needed. A third barrage hit him and he stumbled. Strands of magic wrapped around his gauntleted hand, Quill used a device to pull down his other hand, a portal opened above his head, depositing Mantis on his shoulders, and Peter webbed Thanos' back and pulled with everything he had.

As the titan fell to his knees, subdued by the empathetic alien's will, his fingers remained wrapped around Nadia's throat. She had to follow down to the ground as well lest she choke herself with an awkward angle.

"Nadia!"

"I thought I told you to stay back at home base, Sabs!"

The two who were supposed to relieve Thanos of his gauntlet were distracted. Peter jumped to assist his friend while Tony glanced back and forth between the golden glove he was tugging at and his disobedient daughter.

"Quickly…" Mantis groaned, "He is _very_ strong."

Tony shook his head and refocused on what he was doing, split on the decision if Peter should be helping him, or keeping Nadia from suffocating.

"You incompetent _quims_."

Another different pair of pale hands wrapped around the golden glove. Tony turned, "Reindeer games?" The billionaire genius jumped back, just about to hit the god with a repulsor blast when-

"D-Don't…" Nadia managed to wheeze out with what little air she could gulp in with Peter's efforts. "He's… with us."

Peter redoubled his frantic pulling at Thanos' fingers when Nadia gasped for more air, "No talking." He reprimanded.

Someone landed on the ground in front of them. Peter Quill.

"I thought you'd be harder to catch? Not so strong now, are you?" The man gloated, stepping toward Thanos. "Where is Gamora?"

"Quill! No! We almost got this off!" Tony growled, pulling alongside the trickster.

"Don't be a fool!"

Quill was too blinded by rage to listen though. Seeing red as he realized the fate of Gamora, he swung his fist at Thanos' head, dislodging Mantis.

The titan woke from his trance.

He immediately moved forward to readjust the gauntlet that was almost off.

Peter Parker had managed to free Nadia just before Thanos swat them away.

And just like that, the battle began anew.

Peter had to reorient himself because he was thrown back with Nadia in his arms. "Are you alright, Nadia?"

Said young woman coughed, "That's gonna leave a bruise." A raspy chuckle left her throat and she winced.

She was okay enough to make jokes. That relieved the teen.

Just then, his senses alerted him again, and his gaze shot upward.

"Ho-ly…"

It was like the sky was falling and it was the end of the world.

The two had to jump apart to avoid a meteor from crushing them... or was it a huge chunk of _moon_?

Peter checked to see Nadia maneuvering herself well enough with conjured platforms and portals. With that assurance, he leaped for the others, grabbing and securing unconscious bodies while everything seemed to collapse around them.

A wave of red energy crackled to life and raced toward him, Peter panicked, worried what would happen now.

"Oh gosh…" He did his best to get ahead of the wave, weaving, and dipping around various debris, crumbling earth and rock. He wasn't fast enough though.

A yell of fear escaped him as red sparks fizzled around him and made his world spin. Was Thanos going to turn him into crumbling scrap metal?

"Pete!"

He realized he was still yelling. His eyes had shut to try and block out the dizzying swirl of his vision.

When his eyes opened, he processed that he was on the ground.

Stable ground.

Nadia stood in front of him, her hands on his shoulders.

Everything looked like it did before the sky started falling.

"Impossible! I killed you with my own hands!"

Loki was standing a safe distance away from the Titan.

"You _did_ kill someone. Unfortunately, that wasn't _me_." Floating above his palm, was the Reality stone. "That was your first mistake." He clenched his fist around the red gem. It flared again and burst into red shards that swirled around his hand before seeping into his skin. His veins had a fiery glow for a few moments before it reached his eyes, turning them into burning coals for two seconds before they turned green again. Loki smirked.

Two stones against three.

And the trickster had quite the imagination.

* * *

Every attack Thanos tried to send towards Loki, the god twisted reality and turned every barrage of rock, earth, and twisted metal he turned into harmless foggy mist. Before the titan realized, the majority of his terrain was shrouded with an eerie fog.

"Why do you keep resisting?" He growled, turning to try and spot the insolent creatures that were trying to keep him from achieving peace and prosperity throughout the universe. "The entire universe will flourish."

Everybody thought the same thing. Was sacrificing _half _the living universe worth it? Just the earth would mean billions of lives lost.

Twin blasts of blue hit him, from the mist.

Several blaster shots followed.

Drax ran from the fog and landed a few dagger swipes on Thanos' back while Doctor Strange's conjured weapons hit his face and chest.

Peter took Drax's place and landed kicks on the titan's back while Nadia added to Strange's magical attack.

A red shroud of energy encased Thanos' body and he was rendered immobile again.

Thanos had to admit that this battle was getting _tedious _with the reality stone in opposing hands. He couldn't let this continue and it would be wise for him to find himself an advantage and even the playing field a bit more again.

With the power stone, he shattered the hold of the reality stone on him long enough so that he closed his fist again, activating the space stone.

A smoky portal appeared and swallowed him up and the titan disappeared.

* * *

_**A/N: Here we go! And this is where things really take a different turn. Does this seem believable? Action sequences really are not my strong suit at all. Thoughts? Comments or suggestions? Criticisms? Any guesses where this is going?**_

_**'til next time~**_


	7. Chapter 7

_"I need to go back again soon. For longer this time, mother."_

_"Oh," Renny's shoulders drooped. "Can't you delay it a **little** longer?" She asked hopefully._

_Anya shook her head and sighed, "Loki is having a little too much fun in Asgard. He deserves his happiness, but... Someone needs to be the responsible one to take care of the more bland aspect of ruling. Other than that, I need to help direct Thor's quests as well."_

_Nadia perked up from where she was mixing a batch of cookie dough for an order one of Peter's decathlon teammates had made. "We should have a few days away then. You know, just us."_

_The grey and brown splotched dog barked from his place sitting by her feet. "And Stevie too, if Rhodey can't keep him at the Avengers compound." The youngest Capelli chuckled._

_Anya continued, "I was hoping… perhaps we could go…"_

_Renny swallowed. She knew who her daughter wanted to visit. For all the older woman's bluster months ago, she had not followed through. She had yet to go to Wakanda._

_The eldest Capelli sighed. "You're right. I've been putting this off for too long."_

* * *

_Bucky finished his session with Shuri. Just a follow-up to make sure anything HYDRA could have put in his brain was **really** scrubbed out._

_It was a thirty-minute walk from the labs to his hut on the outskirts, which was fine with him. He preferred that to riding one of the city's transports. He was still slightly uncomfortable around too many people or having someone escort him. He didn't want to burden anyone more than he already did._

_T'Challa already did so much for him, providing him asylum, treatment-_

_"Sergeant."_

_Speaking of. The dark-skinned man called to him before he could exit Shuri's lab. "Good. You have finished already. I need to speak with my sister."_

_Bucky nodded, but before he could move past and continue on his way, the other man added, "Ah, yes. You have visitors in the lobby."_

_Visitors?_

_Steve or any of the others would have called ahead or sent him a message. Though, as far as he knew, they'd just come back from a mission two days ago and haven't left Wakanda yet on another._

_T'Challa wouldn't call them "visitors" either._

_Bucky tilted his head, confused and somewhat curious, moving to the lifts that would take him to the lobby of the building._

_When he reached the proper floor and stepped off, he could hear Steve chatting with someone. As he got closer, he could clearly make out the words._

_"Where've you been?" Steve said. Whoever his pal was talking to was blocked by the partition that separated the elevator lobby from the main reception._

_The former Winter Soldier heard her before he saw her._

_"Sleeping. Not as long as you though."_

**_No._**

_There was a familiar chuckle._

_He had to be dreaming. He dreamed about her every once in a while, sometimes he even daydreamed. However, this was **definitely** the most vivid daydream he'd ever had._

_Well worn brown leather boots, scuffed at the toes._

_Wide burnished bronze armbands that glinted under the light that streamed from the floor-to-ceiling glass windows._

_Dark blue coat and hood that was now down so her face wasn't shadowed._

_Grey eyes that were framed by grey, almost silvery hair._

_Huh._

_Those last details were off though. Even when he imagined her with her hood down, her hair was supposed to be ash brown and there should have been a little more blue in her eyes._

_He probably needed to go back upstairs and have Shuri do some kind of scan._

_Or he was just delusional… his sleep was troubled last night, haunted by a nightmare. He still had them sometimes._

_"Buck…" Steve looked between his two friends. They needed a chance to work this out. He'd had his chance to catch up a little with Renny when she arrived while Bucky was still busy with his checkup._

_The dark-haired man brushed by, briskly walking outside like he didn't notice they were there and turned in the direction of the road that would take him out of the city and to his farm._

_Steve sighed as Renny watched the figure of the man she'd loved, he guessed she was pretty much still in love with from the look he saw in her eyes, disappear behind a bend._

_"Maybe… I should just go." Renny bit her lip, looking at the two other figures at the other end of the lobby who were looking at her intently. If Bucky reacted this way to her, then introducing her girls was definitely going to be too much for him._

_Steve looked in the direction of Renny's gaze, recognizing one of the women and something in his mind clicking._

_"Those are…?"_

_Renny's eyes were a bit glassy and her smile just a bit watery when she nodded. Anya had told the story of how Steve had called her out when she decided to give her father a visit while he was still in cryo in Wakanda._

_Introductions wouldn't be so jarring for the blond then, and Renny needed something to take her mind off how she was brushed off._

_"You've met Anya," She sniffed and smiled a little more genuinely as she watched them shake hands._

_"Not formally," Steve said after a pause. It still awed him how Renny's daughter had Bucky's steely blue eyes. "Glad to finally put a name to the face."_

_"Yes, good to officially meet you, Captain," Anya replied, her tone formal._

_"Just Steve. Please." The blond scratched the back of his neck. He didn't feel exactly like he was Captain America anymore. After all, he was considered a criminal since Berlin._

_"And this is Nadia," Renny had to move to the youngest of their trio who made no move to greet Steve, but had an awkward smile on her face._

_"Shit…" Nadia cursed under her breath, realizing that her inner freaking out had translated into her lack of movement. She sputtered when she caught Steve's slight flinch at the word. "I- Sorry."_

_The man waved a hand, "No. No. It's fine." He had gotten used to supposedly "bad" words over time, especially being on the run._

_"I'm Nadia." They shook hands, finally and Steve got to look at her. She was starkly different from the two other women who had light hair and eyes. Nadia, on the other hand, was a brunette with dark chocolate brown eyes. She was slightly tan as well._

_"Definitely a pleasure meeting Renny's family," Something about her was familiar, but he couldn't place exactly what._

* * *

_Thoughts were swirling in Bucky's head. It was chaotic. He didn't have such messy thought processes since he was the Winter Soldier trying to reconcile foreign yet familiar memories and fragments of information._

_Renny was old or dead. Either way… Gone. Like Peggy, and Howard, and the Howlers-_

_One of his goats bleated in displeasure when the pitchfork he was using to transfer hay to the barn stalls scraped the ground roughly and the metal gave an unpleasant screech._

_"I thought you were going to skewer the poor boy." A voice said from behind him._

_Bucky stopped what he was doing and his shoulders tensed._

_"Or girl. I can't tell."_

_If his mind was playing tricks on him… if he turned around and she wasn't **really** there..._

_"Sorry, girl." He muttered, putting aside the pitchfork and bending down slightly to pat the animal's head apologetically. Shuri had called them phantoms, bits of memories that would manifest either visually, through sounds or voices... but just memories. He hadn't encountered any for a couple of months now. Why-_

_A light hand touched his shoulder, and with the tension and slight anxiety plaguing him coming to a head, his one arm shoved at the potential threat roughly. He expected that his hand would simply hit against air and the phantom would disappear, but what came next was a solid thump and the sound of something hitting the ground with a grunt._

_Of course, he **had** to turn around now._

_Grey eyes looked up at him in surprise and he spotted a hint of sadness and resolute acceptance._

_Bucky stared wide-eyed, frozen with his arm out in front of him._

_"Y-You're…" the word was a raspy whisper of disbelief._

_"This was too soon." She whispered, likely to herself. Her eyes were glassy. She knew though. He'd already been under Shuri's care for months. He was more stable than he had ever been since HYDRA. If he pushed her away even now…_

_Bucky's thoughts were in chaos, but they ground to a complete halt the moment sparks came to life on the ground._

_Fear, desperate hope, and longing made him spring into action. Winter Soldier reflexes- no they were his reflexes. Shuri said part of becoming more stable was accepting that the skillset he gained from his time as the Soldier was now part of who he was now. Bucky lunged quickly to tackle the target before it could get away._

_He felt wind rush past him as he hit the ground and pinned the figure beneath him with his legs. His arm braced on the side of her head to keep him up._

_Hands were pushing on his shoulders and he was staring into stormy grey._

_They stayed as they were for the longest time. _

_Renny stared back at him, unsure and afraid to move at all. Bucky breathing hard, hovering over her._

_Reality slowly started to sink in._

_Puffs of warm breath on his face._

_Warmth that was coming from the hands that moved his chest._

_The softness underneath him instead of hard ground._

_It couldn't be, could it?_

_Maybe this was someone trying to mess with his head again. One way to be sure…_

_He gulped._

_"When we made a bet... about guessing your name… what did you ask for?" Bucky said haltingly, digging up old memories._

_"I…" Renny was a little taken aback by his voice. He was actually addressing her this time. She wasn't surprised though, **of course** he would do something to test if it really was her. She took a breath, remembering the notes she and the boys used to exchange because of that guessing game. "Syrup. I had no idea what to ask for, so… I asked for all the syrup with a stack of pancakes every week for a month."_

**_If you guess wrong, I get all the syrup and a stack of pancakes just for me once a week for the next month._**

_The memory of the note came back to him, clear as day now that she said it. More memories came to the surface._

_Bucky didn't hesitate to ask another question, "When did we first meet?"_

_"The first time you talked to me was the day after the funeral for Steve's mom." She smiled softly at the thought of what happened back then. "The first time we saw each other properly though... during one of the pol sci lectures you and Steve had together." She chuffed, remembering a teenage Bucky's face when he gave her a cheeky wave. A short chuckle managed to bubble out when she remembered how their teacher had chucked a piece of chalk at their heads and yelled at the two._

_"Coney Island. What-"_

_"A chalkware horse. It was white with a black mane and tail. I also got two of those goofy pictures we took at the photo booth." Coney Island… She actually hadn't been back there since. Renny's smile slowly faded and she sighed, her breath stuttering slightly, "I don't know what else I can tell you, Buck. I don't know what I can say so-"_

_The air rushed out of her lungs when Bucky's full weight was suddenly on her. His head was beside hers, nose burrowing into her hair and his one arm wrapping around her back._

_"It doesn't matter…"_

_He knew her answers were all correct, but the words didn't matter as much to him. Not with the emotion in her voice and in her eyes. You could always find out the right words, but you could never truly fake emotion._

_He had so many questions… but they didn't matter. Not right now._

_She was real._

_She was here._

_"Ah-Air..."_

_Bucky only shifted his weight to the side, rolling them slightly, not relinquishing his hold._

_Renny gasped, filling her lungs with air that was inherently Bucky._

_"Sorry." The man mumbled, his arms relaxing but not unwinding from around her. After a few moments of letting her breathe, he spoke up again. "You changed your hair, Sunshine."_

_She huffed, smiling again now, "So did you, Pancakes."_

_Grey eyes stared into blue._

_This was **real**._

_He pulled her to him again and this time Renny melted into the hug._

_"You'll have to let go of her soon, you know, jerk."_

_Renny squeaked and scrunched the material of Bucky's shirt in her fists and drew her face in as if to hide. Her cheeks burned and heat climbed her neck, reaching her ears._

_"Great timing, as always, punk." Bucky groaned and tilted his head to look over the silvery strands of the shaking girl beside him. She was muffling embarrassed chuckles in his chest._

_She moved an arm's length away from him, her eyes moist because of laughter this time and her cheeks flushed. God, her smile was beautiful. He'd always imagined what she'd be like without the hood up all the time, more carefree- and here she was. His old daydream. He wanted to just put his arms around her again but he realized they were back in the lobby._

_"Come on, Bucko." Renny pushed herself to her knees and held out her hands to help him stand._

_Her voice was nice. He always liked her voice, even when she was just talking. The man nodded, taking note of the attention they seemed to have drawn._

_T'Challa stood with his mother and his sister. Shuri had a Cheshire grin on her face._

_Steve looked happy, a sly, almost smug, smile on his lips. The blond stood beside two other women he didn't recognize. One though… was almost a carbon copy of Renny as he knew her back in the 40's. Just taller and with bluer eyes._

_Part of his heart ached a bit. Then again… of course… he couldn't blame Renny at all for moving on without him. He hadn't been himself for a very long time._

_But something was rattling in the back of his mind._

_Renny had seen the sudden change. How Bucky seemed to suddenly retreat into himself._

_This wasn't how she had planned things at all. She hadn't wanted to rush it… but with every passing moment, Bucky was drawing further away._

_"Bucky," she said, gently putting a careful hand on his cheek so he would look at her. She gestured with her free hand, not taking her eyes from his. When the other woman stood next to Renny, her grey eyes flickered to the newcomer. "Bucky," she repeated, voice meaningful. She took a deep, steadying breath before continuing hopefully, "This is Anya." She took his hand in both of hers._

_The man took several moments to process her words, gaze focused on the woman who looked so much like an older version of 1940's Renny._

_Realization slowly dawned in his eyes. Bucky squeezed her fingers, suddenly nervous._

_""Anya"?… like the little girl…?"_

_"Yeah… the one from the village."_

_A village they'd come across during one of their missions with the Howling Commandos._

_A cute little girl that had had been adamant about helping Bucky with his minor wounds after a HYDRA raid, offering food and water, and apparently had a bit of a crush on the sergeant despite only a few days they had stayed there before they had to leave for the next mission._

_Anya Werner. She'd been enthralled when she saw Renny take over Bucky's medical treatment with her magic._

_"Teach me!"_

_Not possible at all with just two days, but Renny taught her the basic tenet of creating magic- clearing your mind. Maybe little Anya wouldn't be able to do spells, but clearing your mind through meditation helped you think more logically and helped you deal with strong emotions._

_That was probably one of the reasons they fell deeper for each other. Seeing how Bucky patiently sat through the little girl's first aid, making her smile with assurances of a job well done. How Renny acted happy and relaxed around the little girl while teaching her how to meditate, though little Anya would start fidgeting under five minutes._

_"Anya's determined…" Renny had mentioned then with a soft smile, watching the little girl shift in her seat, peek an eye open, and squeak when she saw the two adults watching her. She readjusted her position and immediately closed her eyes._

_Bucky's heart warmed seeing his Sunshine's expression. "Pretty name for a pretty girl too." He chuckled. A gentle smile curved his lips._

_Steve wished then that he could take a picture._

_"I…" Anya Capelli was usually unflappable, but she had always had a soft spot for the father she never really got to know. "It's good to meet you, sir." When awkward or nervous, her default was severe formality._

_Bucky was glad that Shuri had done so much to fix his head. He might have been completely stoic otherwise. Or probably run away. Avoiding unnecessary threats was drilled into his Winter Soldier program. He was supposed to be a ghost._

_But that was before._

_He was now, like Anya, nervous and awkward, normal emotions, but he still had the Soldier's calm. He managed a genial smile. "Just Bucky, please." He paused, doing his best to gather his thoughts, "Can you tell me about you?" Some of Bucky's old charm, no matter how small a percentage, had returned._

_"Of course." Anya was happy, though the only indication was the soft smile on her face. "I'd love to hear about you too. Other than from my mother." Her smile was actually a little more like his than Renny's._

**_Sweet Jesus…_**

_Anya Capelli was his daughter._

_**Crazy.** This was all so crazy. This woman looked a little older than he was, and she was **his daughter**._

_He'd missed so much. So much. He **definitely** had a lot of catching up to do._

_Steve was ecstatic that his pal had progressed and grown so much since Shuri had started working with him._

_"You did a pretty good job, Shuri." The blond complimented, smiling widely as he watched Bucky finally get to meet his daughter._

_The Wakandan princess was grinning. "Of course, Captain." She elbowed him in the arm, catching the blond's attention before continuing in a conspiratorial whisper, "We'll see how well he handles his emotions when he actually finds out he has a **granddaughter** too."_

_Winter Soldier he no longer was, but Bucky was still a super-soldier with enhanced hearing._

_"**Wh-What?**" He managed to wheeze out, feeling like the wind had been blown from his lungs._

_Shuri, completely amused and intrigued at his reaction only repeated in an unnecessary yell, "You have a granddaughter too!" Ecstatic, she pointed at Nadia whose wide eyes met Bucky's own stunned and practically overwhelmed stare._

_Nadia didn't know how to act and suddenly being in the spotlight like that had her overwhelmed and anxious. What immediately tumbled from her mouth was, "**Shit**."_

* * *

**A/N: Really long chapter. It occurred to me that in fact, I hadn't posted a family get together chapter for Bucky and Renny. Thanks for pointing that out to me bookwriter123456.**

**I don't know exactly what, but something about this chapter has been bugging me. I tried reading it over and over, but I can't pinpoint it. Thoughts? Criticisms? Suggestions? Next chapter will be the continuation of the AU Infinity War. So look forward to that.**

**'Til next time~**


	8. Chapter 8

"Where'd he go?"

"Shit."

"What do we do now, Mister Stark?"

"Loki!"

They turned to the trickster.

Loki's face was twisted with rage, his fist raised and Peter Quill was three feet off the ground, red energy crackling around him as he twitched and groaned.

"Quill!" Drax yelled and turned to the god of mischief, growling, "You-" He froze mid charge toward Loki.

"Hot-headed imbecile!" The god growled, eyes and hands glowing red. He had absorbed the reality stone. "Your _idiotic_ interruption kept us from taking the gauntlet!"

Seeing what the stone could do, everyone stood back, unsure how to approach the trickster without him suddenly turning on them.

"Sabs… _Don't_." Tony warned when Nadia took tentative steps forward.

A hand wrapped firmly around the young woman's arm. "Nadia…" Peter Parker's warm brown eyes shone with worry.

She smiled grimly at the teen, "It'll be fine, Pete."

His brows furrowed in concern, "But he-"

"I promise."

The teen's eyes went wide. She used _the words. _He sucked in a breath and slowly blew it out. His shoulders were still tense, but hesitantly, his grip loosened, fingers giving one final squeeze before he let go.

Nadia nodded to him gratefully and gave him a returning squeeze on his shoulder. Slowly, she approached Loki with her hands up.

Tony growled again repulsors flaring to life and being trained on the perceived threat. "_Nadia_-"

"She has this, Stark." Doctor Strange said softly but firmly. "Stand down."

Tony looked incredulously at the sorcerer, but when he saw the sureness in the doctor's eyes, the billionaire huffed. The glow from his own gauntlets slowly died down, but they remained aimed at the god of mischief. "One move I don't like..."

"Easy, Stark." Strange assured, lifting his own hand in a gesture that he could quickly cast a spell if need be.

* * *

When Nadia was a few feet away, she called to him gently, "Loki."

"Do you realize just what you've done?" He spat at the paralyzed Starlord. "_Do you?!"_

The trickster didn't seem to hear her. Quill seemed to tense up even more, energy crackling more wildly around him.

"The bastard k-killed Gamora!" The man managed to seethe out.

"And that name is supposed to mean something to me?" The god scoffed.

"Loki." Nadia repeated, flaring her magic slightly like a physical blanket on his shoulders.

His gaze flickered to the young woman behind him.

Seeing she had some of his attention, she continued, "Stop. You have to let him down." She coaxed.

"Why should I? So he can make another _idiotic_ mistake? So he can take away my revenge?!" Quill choked this time as Loki's tone rose. "Thanos needs to suffer for slaughtering Anya and my oaf of a brother."

"I lost my mother too, Loki," The young woman said softly then pointed to the other human, "He also lost someone he loved." Nadia stepped closer and put a light hand on his raised arm. She could feel the burn of magic from the reality stone. "You're right that Thanos needs to pay. It's _Thanos_ that needs to suffer. Quill was acting out of anger, and you know not everyone is as composed as you."

Loki lips curled in derision and he growled.

"He's as bullheaded as Thor." Nadia sighed, indicating the god of thunder, hoping the reference would help quell the trickster's wrath.

"Th-Thor?" Quill managed to wheeze out. "E-Eyepatch?"

Loki's attention snapped back to him, analyzing the look of recognition in the Starlord's eyes at the mention of the name. "You've seen him?" Immediately, his hold on the man fizzled out and he dropped to the ground, coughing.

Impatient, with a snap of Loki's fingers, the soreness of Quill's throat disappeared so he could talk.

The Starlord took a few experimental breaths before finally answering, "The stupid dude went with two from my team to get a weapon at some forge called noodle-something."

"Nidavellir," Loki whispered, thought his mind was plagued with one thought- his brother was still alive.

Quill brushed himself off and slowly stood and pat a hand on Nadia's shoulder gratefully, "Hey, thanks for holding off the crazy-" The man choked on what he was going to say when the woman punched him solidly in the gut.

"The monster you let get away killed my mother. I understand your anger, but what you did was still so _very_ stupid and drew this out, " The young woman growled. Loki snickered and gave her an approving nod.

Drax went over to his companion and helped him stand. However, as he put Quill's arm around his shoulders to support him, he turned to Nadia with a nod, "I also understand your anger human female. I would deliver a blow to Quill's face if you did not give a good one already-"

"Dude! Who's side are you on?!" Quill remarked indignantly.

"Once he gets that weapon," Doctor Strange spoke up, "He'll go straight after Thanos. We should go too."

Still eyeing his daughter who seemed way too close to the trickster for his liking, Tony huffed, "Well, that's a great idea Strange, but how do we know where Thanos went? Probably after the other stone, but we don't know where it is!" The man ran a hand through his hair, trying to think. He wasn't able to call Rogers to track down Vision before he took his unplanned space trip. To his knowledge, the android was still MIA.

"Maica…" Nadia breathed, "My grandmother. She's sure to be guarding it." She elaborated on the Romanian endearment when she received questioning looks.

"So are we talking about Earth here?" Quill asked, ready to make amends and to have another go at the bastard who killed Gamora. "We can make it there in a couple of jumps."

Tony was scratching his chin, "No, we need the element of surprise. They'll see us coming from a mile away burning through the atmosphere. Strange, how big can you make your sparkly portals?"

The doctor nodded, "Big enough for their ship if need be."

"The plan then, mortals? I wouldn't dare go against Thanos without one." Loki folded his arms against his chest.

* * *

**-WAKANDA-**

* * *

**::She's on the field.::**

At that signal from Proxima Midnight, Corvus made his way to the stone, slaughtering several Dora Milaje who tried to keep him from his goal.

Just as he came through the end of the hall to see the dark-skinned human girl working on the mind stone vessel give him a panicked look, he smirked-

Then he went sliding back down the hall.

"Keep going, Shuri. I have him." Renny appeared after a shimmering invisibility spell fell away. The princess let out a sigh of relief. Apparently the magic-user had returned from the field when she saw Wanda there. The woman knew that someone needed to be guarding the stone.

She'd always had some doubts about the woman with how her mother, father, even her brother talked about the mysterious Seer of Bast, as the woman was dubbed even before the princess was born, appearing and disappearing every once in a while in Wakanda. Her mother even said that the Seer had actually saved the queen mother's life when she was a child.

The Seer was quite the story among the children of Wakanda, actually. Though they say the last time she had appeared before she stayed for over a year had been over a decade ago.

Shuri was shaken from her momentary distraction when another crash echoed down the hall. "Right." She reprimanded herself and sped up her work.

* * *

A second blast to his chest had him sliding a few more feet back down the hall.

"What?"

Looking in the direction the attack came from, Corvus spotted another human. This one looked like the one they had encountered among the Asgardians. Smaller though. She looked shocked that her spell didn't work as intended.

Baring his teeth, the alien charged again. The woman sucked in a breath and shot a barrage of attacks at him. Some making him fall back a few steps, but many he simply redirected, shattering the glass around him.

* * *

Renny ground her teeth when her attacks only made the thing stagger. He was deflecting her attacks too well with his glaive.

"Shit…" She'd have to get in close so he couldn't use his weapon. Letting loose a particularly strong burst to buy her time, she closed her eyes and muttered a spell.

Though it took all of only three seconds, it was a moment too long because the alien swiped at her side with his blade. Her magically reinforced robes blunted the blow enough that instead of the glaive slicing through her liver, she was swat aside into the wall. She glared at the threat from her hands and knees as she sucked in air.

Corvus approached Shuri who had shot her own blasts at the alien. The princess was hit roughly aside the same way Renny was, except the other woman caught her with a spell and placed her back on her feet.

Shuri didn't have time to thank her as the magic-user ran right past her as Vision tackled the alien out the window. Renny saw the two tumbling through the air and made a portal to catch the android and simply transport him back to the lab. Corvus Glaive continued his plummet to the ground.

The magic-user winced when Vision landed a bit roughly on the floor of the lab. Portals made with her sling ring were her only magic that didn't react so strongly in the presence of infinity stones. She didn't want to test reactions right now. Especially when that stone was embedded in someone's skull.

"Are you alright?" The Wakandan princess immediately went to the android, who groaned as he slowly sat up.

"He fell… Civilians…" Vision said worriedly, trying to stand up.

"Don't worry. The streets are empty. The city was evacuated." Shuri assured.

The android nodded and Renny also sighed in relief, thinking she'd have to jump down and hunt the alien.

"Shall we continue then?" Vision asked while Renny put an arm to help him to the table. "I don't believe we have much time left."

* * *

The battle was raging on the fields and Bucky had to take a moment to stare when he saw two figures tumble down from the tower where the lab was located.

One, Vision, as he recalled Steve called him, fell right through a ring of sparks. Renny's doing.

"Crap," Bucky gulped and yelled when one of the alien monsters managed to tackle him to the ground while he was distracted, he easily shot the thing in the head and kicked it away. He had to scramble to his feet before more came to try and dogpile him. "Renny! You're in the same room as an infinity stone."

**::I'm aware. I'll be careful.::** Renny responded through the comms. **::I got a handle on it since the last time you saw me fight.::**

Steve heard her and had to trust that she knew what she was doing.

Thank God Thor had arrived. They were being overwhelmed right before he showed up.

Nat said they had taken care of the female alien. Bruce watched the big one burn. The third one, who they had assumed had died from his injuries back in Edinburgh, had actually survived but had fallen out of the labs.

Without some form of command, it should be easier to deal with these things. Right?

Maybe they had to blow their ships like they had in New York. There were too many, even if they were slaughtering these things by the dozen, it would still cause too much collateral damage if they let this drag on. They needed to end this as soon as-

A strange breeze brushed over the field and for several moments, even in the utter chaos, it felt eerily quiet.

* * *

Even in the lab, Renny felt it.

It was like a strange chill settled in the air.

"He's here." Vision managed to whisper, though his voice was weak and his eyes seemed duller.

"I need more time!" Shuri panicked, her movements speeding up though her hands shook.

Renny admired how the princess took just one breath to steady herself and push through, working even faster. This alternative had such a slim chance of succeeding before Thanos showed up. It had a slim chance of succeeding at all. But they would never have outright sentenced Vision to death. Renny shook her head and shakily put a hand on her ear on her comm, "Wanda…" She started, her tone regretful.

**::No.::**

Of course, the Scarlet Witch would immediately answer with a negative, especially when she barely knew Renny personally.

They hadn't connected even when she was part of Steve's team in Wakanda. The fact that their magic couldn't be done safely in close quarters to each other also fueled that.

It had made Renny seem stuck up when she refused to show Wanda her magic when the younger woman had eagerly asked when they met.

Though Steve had explained later on, the rift between them was never properly bridged.

Of course, the other woman wouldn't just sacrifice the one she loved. It was even crueller to ask her to be the one to do it. Renny nodded solemnly. The magic-user knew that she would never be able to willingly do that to Bucky if she were in a similar position. Especially now that she might actually be able to fight and have a say in it.

Just when a smoky blue portal began to form at one end of the lab, Renny did the only safe magic she could.

She portalled them right out of there.

* * *

"Renny! Shuri! _Oh my, God_… Vision." Bruce had the Hulkbuster armor kneel to get a closer look at the trio that landed unceremoniously in the clearing of the forested area he was in. The android seemed unresponsive though the yellow stone was still embedded in his head. "What happened?"

The Wakandan princess was looking at her hands, shaking slightly, "That last connection… I- I might have…"

"Viz!"

Wanda landed in the clearing as well, running toward Vision who was still lying on the ground. She knelt by him and cupped his cheek. She gasped at his dull eyes. "What happened?!"

Renny shook her head, apologetic, "I'm sorry. I had to get us out of there ASAP."

The Capelli's words brought the Witch's harsh glare upon her. "You…" _It was your fault._

Bruce realized then what must have happened. Shaking his head, he said solemnly into the comms, "Guys, we've lost Vision."

Steve's voice was next on the comms, his voice clear, **::We've got eyes on Thanos.::**

* * *

_**A/N: I'm still alive! Sorry this took so long. Life decided to be extra chaotic this month and I had to write and rewrite a few chapters ahead to make sure that the path this story is on would end properly. What do you guys think of the plot so far? I'd love to know.**_

_**Thanks again to everyone who's stuck with this story, added it to their faves and alerts, and to those who took the time to review as well.**_

_**'Til next time.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_"Stevie! Steve! You better get over here!"_

_Tony practically choked on his coffee and dropped his phone. If it weren't for the fact that it was Stark tech, the screen would have cracked._

_Nadia ran past him, sliding over the kitchen island and chasing a grey and white spotted blur that sped by him earlier when he picked up his phone._

_"I got him! I got him!" It was Peter this time, who swung from the kitchen to the living area and out the glass doors to the outside. Nadia followed before a splash was heard._

_Tony decided to see what exactly was happening and walked to the doors._

_"Bad! Bad, Stevie! Give it…"_

_The billionaire dropped his phone again, his jaw dropping too._

_The Spiderling was soaked, arms around a sopping wet dog. Nadia was kneeling in front of the two, trying to coax the mutt to let go of a red bundle in his mouth._

_"Come on, boy."_

_When the dog finally dropped the thing, which Tony recognized as Spiderman's mask, Nadia flicked the canine's nose. "Don't do that again, Stevie. The suit's not a toy."_

_"He was pretty fast. Can being around superheroes rub off on dogs? Both of us were chasing him for practically **half an hour**!"_

_Tony couldn't help himself anymore, "Well if you seriously named him after **Captain America**." He laughed, though part of him still stung when he thought of the blond super-soldier._

_"Well, a toddler with a Captain America shirt walked by when I had to think of a name." Nadia huffed, holding the said dog by the collar when he suddenly tried to shake himself dry, "No, Stevie. No!" She let go, but he already released a hail of water droplets as he whipped his fur about. It was ten seconds before he sat down and gave his owner a doggy grin._

Pfffft.

_Tony coughed. "Get yourself some dry clothes, both of you. Then Peter can help me in the lab." He turned and walked back inside, paused and looked over his shoulder, "Sabs, please make sure you and ahem Stevie don't track water inside if you're coming too." The statement still made him grin stupidly for a moment, turning back around to hide his expression._

_"Ah! Sure, Mister Stark!" Peter jumped up, eager to get back to work in the labs._

_Nadia huffed, looking down at her grey retriever who stared back at her, "If uncle Steve ever finds out…"_

* * *

_**Asgard**_

_The candle in the lamp flickered, making the figure sitting at the table look up._

_When did it get so dark? She'd entered the library early in the afternoon. Now, through one of the library windows, the sky was inky and peppered with stars._

_The candle flickered again, grabbing her attention. She stared at the yellow flame for a few seconds before it flickered unnaturally a third time. Blue eyes narrowed and her heart beat a little bit faster. There was no wind._

_Then the light went out completely and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Arcane energy immediately ringed her wrists and-_

_"So serious..." a voice said in her ear, making her jump in her seat._

_The flame flickered back to life, revealing a chuckling Loki. Anya frowned at him, giving him a stare. Loki simply grinned at her. The woman's seriousness was broken by the grumble that cut through the silence._

_Loki chuckled again, "Hungry, darling?" He pulled an apple from thin air and tossed it to her._

_Anya stared at the fruit in her hand and she realized that yes, she was hungry. But she wouldn't tell the god that. She just took a bite from the crunchy apple and nodded briefly in thanks._

_"You know an apple won't be enough. You missed dinner."_

_She sighed deeply, massaging her temple. She was hungry enough not to argue. After swallowing another bite of her apple, she asked, "Where do you want to go?" Loki liked to go on excursions every once in a while during the night, especially when she was overstayed in the library or the sitting rooms of her chambers._

_The trickster's grin turned into more of a smile. "Not tonight, you're tired. You let the council bully you too much."_

_She groaned softly, getting up off her seat, "Only because you shirk some of your duties."_

_"Funny, it's been long enough to know they won't question the Allfather's new behavior. I think you simply do the mundane things for fun." Loki shrugged, waiting for her to take a few more bites before cloaking them both with a spell as they left the library. Heimdall could be watching, but the god of mischief had plans to be rid of that problem soon._

_Anya simply hummed, closing her eyes, trailing after him with her other senses. She always quite liked the feel of the trickster's magic. It was cool and comforting and soothed her skin like a gentle breeze._

_Loki felt another smile pull at his lips. When did someone last trust him so implicitly that they relied on the feel of his magic to guide them as they walked?_

_A part of him wanted to walk her into a wall just to see that scowl on her face again. A little bit of fun. Anya was getting too trusting._

_They made it to the royal suites without incident and Loki opened the doors a crack for them to slip through. Anya opened her eyes again as his cloaking spell dropped._

_What greeted the pair was a dim room only lit only by the crackling hearth. One side table held a platter of fruits, some bread, slices of various meats, and a pitcher of water._

_Anya's heart warmed._

_Loki took a seat on one of the long, plush couches while Anya went for the table, filling her plate with some food._

_This was nice._

_Loki read a tome while she was content to sit on the floor while she ate. The god didn't protest, he knew now that she preferred to sit with one leg stretched and the other folded. When she at her fill, she vanished the plate and leaned her head just slightly on his legs. Still looking at the flames in the hearth, she said simply, "Thank you."_

_The trickster only nodded in return. "The servants brought it in."_

_A lie. One they both knew. The meats had been heated and the fruits were a selection of her favorites. He'd snuck into the kitchen when she hadn't been present for dinner at the hall._

_They didn't acknowledge it out loud though. It was just easier this way. Simple._

_They were both sometimes awkward with their emotions, though Loki tended to lie or steer the conversation in a different route while Anya simply stayed quiet, a twitch in her eye or lips belaying her feelings._

_Simple times where the two would stay that way, in comfortable silence in the sitting room._

_Times when one of them started dozing, usually Anya, and the other would touch their shoulder._

_"You'll be more comfortable in a bed."_

_Either way, Loki would walk her to the door, where he'd watch her walk down the hallway to her own chambers (of course it would draw suspicion if Loki allowed her a room in the royal suites), she'd pause at her doorway and they'd exchange nods, sometimes imperceptible smiles, before she shut her door._

_Then they'd retire for what remained of the night._

_Loki's thoughts were usually of how he could rile the council again and how Anya would react making him snicker to himself as he fell asleep._

_Anya's thoughts were of how Loki would probably find a way to rile the council and tease her again for being too serious making her sigh, though not resentfully, before she succumbed to slumber._

* * *

_Applause came from the people watching the play and the Allfather smiled as well, clapping his hands genially._

_He was relaxed, reclined on the long couch, while his glance flickered over to meet blue._

"That frost giant child was your idea wasn't it?" _More a statement than a question really. Anya could hear the roll of Loki's eyes in his voice in her head, though she could still detect the unmistakable amusement._

"My idea? Thank the playwright. " She thought back, though she was sure her own amusement could be heard. "That was much too flowery and dramatic for my tastes." Outwardly though, there w_as a tug at the corner of her lips._

_Odin's eyes glinted with mischief that was inherently Loki and for one moment, Anya was slightly nervous about what he would do to get her back._

* * *

**A/N: Just a little bit of fluff here. Aaaaanyway... no reviews for the last chapter, makes me kinda sad. Welp, so close to the end tho. Any thoughts for the previous chapter or this current one? I'd love to know what you think.**

**'Til next time**


	10. Chapter 10

Thanos stood at the broken window of the labs. Looking over the fields, he saw his Outrider army ripping into the army of humans.

However, to his disbelief and disdain, the familiar sight of lightning cutting through his ranks crackled every few moments.

The so-called god of thunder was alive as well? It seemed that he brought some outside aid with him.

Frustration was beginning to brew within Thanos, but he would not let it take root. The titan took a deep breath. Obstacles seemed to be endlessly piling up against him. Why did he have the feeling that this was going wrong? When he closed his eyes, he could visualize the time stone in his gauntlet and ripping the mind stone from a red humanoid creature.

He put a hand to his temple. It almost seemed like a... _memory_... A memory of something that hadn't happened. There was no better word for it...

No matter. It must have been the universe spurring him on. He needed to fight for his goal, not just dream of it. After all, the more difficult the battle, the sweeter the victory. And the prosperity of the universe would be well-worth all the trouble.

He knew he had to deal with this quickly. Take the mind stone while the earthlings were somewhat preoccupied with his army.

Clenching his fist, he willed the space stone to take him to its sibling once more.

* * *

**::Shit, he disappeared! ::** Sam informed when he circled to keep track of the purple alien that was standing in the labs just a moment ago.

"Wanda," Renny tried when she heard Sam's exclamation, "You have to destroy it. If Thanos gets his hands on it, Vision's sacrifice will-"

"Sacrifice? You killed him!" The Scarlet Witch seethed from her position kneeling beside the inert Vision, glaring at the other magic-user with glassy eyes.

_God... Did she?_

She just did what she could to keep them safe. Thanos would kill off half the universe if she didn't. The Witch's words still cut deep.

"Wanda," Bruce said as gently as possible, but with urgency in his tone, "We all knew this was a risky procedure. If Renny didn't get you out of there, Thanos-"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

The titan caught the doctor off guard with his sudden appearance and swatted the man to the side. Using the reality stone, Thanos embedded the armor into the rocky cliffside.

Renny had no choice, if Wanda wouldn't destroy the stone, she had to send it away. At least somewhere the others could get to it.

Secure the stone.

**::Guys! He's here! We need backup! ::** Bruce stuttered as he tried to somehow get the armor to break free of its prison.

Thanos turned from the doctor and set his sights on the lone woman in front of him. Her companions were gone.

Renny's eyes widened as she finally got a good look at the purpose of her existence in this universe. Even decades of mental preparation did not truly prepare her for his_ actual_ presence. It was overwhelming. Still, she managed to stand firm and raise her hands. Her fingers shook slightly, so she clenched them into fists, grinding her teeth together.

**::Get the fuck out of there, Doll!::** Bucky's voice came frantically over the comms.

**::Hold on! Renny, hold on!::** Steve.

The titan's steps echoed ominously in her head as he came closer, like the deep tolling of bells. "Stop trying to keep the stone away. Your efforts are admirable but pointless."

"Like hell," Renny growled. There was just no way she'd just stop.

Thanos shook his head at her response and power crackled from his fist as he closed it. Renny stood firm, arms raised defensively in front of her, palms facing forward as she braced herself.

It was like a freight train when it hit, taking the breath from her lungs and turning her vision dark.

But instead of the burning pain that should have come, she was blanketed with a warm presence. The weight on her was _protective_ rather than crushing.

She realized her eyes had scrunched closed, but when she opened them, she was met with baby blues.

"Dammit, Bangles."

Steve had somehow managed to get to her and had tackled her to the ground, the shield he received from T'Challa protecting them from the brunt of Thanos' attack. Vibranium was indeed powerful-

Renny gasped, and with surprising strength, shoved the captain off and to the side while she rolled away from the punch the titan landed in the ground where their heads were.

Or should have landed.

There was a heavy grunt and a growl.

Her gaze snapped up to see Bucky, Thanos' fist caught in his hands. The muscles in the man's arm strained while the metal plates in his other arm seemed to flex and lock.

The titan pulled back his other arm to punch the man in the head. The captain had appeared though, blocking the punch with his shield.

As one, the sergeant and the captain shoved Thanos back hard, though the titan only took two steps back.

"Eat plasma you crazy ass bastard!" Glowing shots followed from Rocket's blaster were aimed for the titan's head. He'd arrived at the clearing with Bucky. Thanos raised his gauntleted hand to protect his face. The resulting sparks were blinding.

The distraction was enough for Steve and Bucky to position themselves again. What came next practically stole the air from Renny's lungs.

The two worked seamlessly, like a deadly graceful dance, almost, weaving around each other to land consecutive hits on the titan. One launching an uppercut on Thanos' chin while the other landed a powerful hook into the alien's ribs.

Then they both ducked, Rocket blasting another round of fire at the monster's face while laughing hysterically.

The beautiful barrage was stopped abruptly when Thanos planted his feet and let out a frustrated yell. He closed the gauntlet on his fist and released a powerful shockwave of energy. The brute force of it knocked the two supersoldiers off their feet and rendered them unconscious.

Rocket, being quite small, was easily thrown back harshly into Renny. She wrapped her arms around him protectively as they tumbled together. When she skid on the ground on her side and came to a stop, her arms came down slowly, fingers twitching. Rocket pushed himself up and nodded in thanks before raising his weapon again quickly.

"Hey, incoming! Incoming!" He yelled when he noticed Thanos lunging towards them. Rocket fired multiple shots at the titan who easily deflected them with his gauntlet.

Renny yelled and brought up a shield of the purple energy when Thanos reached for Rocket. The magic-user then quickly jumped back with the raccoon before the shield shattered and released one more crackle of power.

Her arms were shaking now.

Thanos looked at her strangely.

She directed a smile at him that was more of a grimace.

**::Renny! Damn, I'm sorry. I can't- Steve and Bucky are down-::**

Suddenly, the air was filled with the squalls of Outriders and she felt the thundering of their approach beneath her feet.

The blood drained from Renny's face at the implication.

It was Thanos' turn to smirk.

Maybe it was panic and desperation, but it was rash and stupid to believe that the titan would ignore her when she tried to dash back towards Bucky and Steve's unconscious forms.

Thanos grabbed her by the arm, his grip tight. What's more, her feet dangled above the ground. Renny gasped, the titan's grasp was so solid and unyielding, it felt like she could easily dislocate her arm if she struggled. Helplessness filled her. Then Thanos spoke. "Foolish girl, you can't stop this."

_Snap!_

Renny's ears were filled with ringing and the world spun around her.

Everything came back into harsh focus when she hit the ground, the air leaving her lungs and a white-hot pain shooting up her arm. Whimpering, she turned her head to see her right forearm bent slightly at an awkward angle. Between the end of her vambrace and her elbow, there was a bulge poking against the skin where the bone had fractured in half.

"Crap, that looks bad," Rocket was beside her, sparing her a glance and a grimace, then focusing on the forest ahead of him. He cocked his weapon and pat a paw over chest and belt, counting how many explosives he still had.

Her focus then landed on the forms of the two supersoldiers. They were still unconscious.

_Oh God._

The trees shuddered from the oncoming onslaught of aliens and desperation hit her hard. With shuddering breaths, she tried to claw her way across the ground.

"Stay low, humie! You got a better chance of surviving this if you stick to where you are!"

She wouldn't reach them.

_No._

"Lady!" Rocket yelled, frustrated.

The outriders burst through the trees.

With a gasping cry, she rushed to project a shield up over Bucky and Steve.

Rocket let out a long battle cry while he wildly shot at the creatures.

Their screeches were deafening. They were all around them.

_Around._

Not on top of them.

Like water parting around rocks, they streamed around and past them, though a few stray limbs and claws nicked and cut Renny...

But...

_Past_ them.

And on to Thanos, burying him in a mass of writhing bodies.

With the titan incapacitated, for now, Renny managed to reach her friends, cupping their cheeks one after the other and waking them with a small burst of rejuvenating magic.

They both gasped, sucking in air and shooting up, Bucky even rolling to a crouch. They looked wildly at the Outriders around them but immediately noticed that they were being ignored.

"You took everything away from me."

The deadly voice cut through the squalls, coming from the Scarlet Witch, who floated above the chaos, eyes and fingertips glowing more fiery orange than the red she was named after.

Around her neck, on the pendant she usually wore, sat the mind stone. It was apparent that she was controlling the large group of Outriders.

Maybe the shock kept Thanos from fighting back, but with the extra distraction, Bucky picked Renny up and Steve helped Rocket onto his own shoulder. The group run and put what distance they could between them and the titan.

The captain was going to warn Wanda not to get too close to Thanos when the raccoon on his shoulder put a paw to his furry ear, "Quill?!"

After a second, there was the sound of static from the soldier's own comm device, then-

**::You didn't think we'd let you have all the fun, did you?- Drax! Wait! ::**

An enthusiastic yell and laugh echoed through the connection.

Over the din, Steve could make out the sound of some kind of aircraft, much louder than War machine's thrusters.

**::The connection is stable, you've been added to the comm server. ::** Shuri's voice announced. A string of others followed.

**::Heavens to Betsy, these things look uglier than Loki's army in New York.::**

**::Lump me in with them again, Stark, I will strangle you when this is over with. ::**

Steve's relief at reinforcements was slightly tempered, his hackles rose, "Is that-"

**::Maica!::**

"Nadia..." Renny's voice cracked, there were a few tears of joy and relief mixed with those of pain.

**::Doctor Strange is with us and Loki has the Reality stone.::**

_Three on three._

"God, Sunshine." Bucky's voice wavered when they stopped running and he set her down, seeing Renny cradle her fractured arm. They couldn't really do anything about it in the middle of a battlefield. She'd always been the medic during their missions back then.

Steve knew this too. "You need to get to safety, Renny. You're injured. And keep a perimeter away from the stones."

At the mention of leaving, Bucky saw the determination slowly overriding the pain in her moist eyes. Cutting her off before she could say anything, he cupped the side of her face with his flesh hand, "Doll, please." His eyes were full of desperation for her to listen, "_Please._ You've done a lot already. There are more of us now." He put his metal hand on her other cheek, "Go. I_ need_ to know you're safe."

Renny gulped, leaning into his hold and closing her eyes, "I... Please..."

_Be careful?_

_Don't die?_

She didn't know what to say to him. She turned her head and kissed his flesh palm. Slowly, her form faded away into the air.

* * *

"Karen, activate instant-kill!" Peter's vision was tinted red and he shifted his weight as he turned and shot taser-webs while the mechanical arms that sprung from his back pierced aliens that got too close.

Nadia played a more long-distance fighter, targeting a wider range at a further distance with strong shocking spells that had most of the aliens convulsing on the ground. Those outriders that managed to stumble and push through closer, Peter took care of.

**::Nice work, juniors!::** Quill crowed. He'd dubbed the youngest two of their group that name when he found out one was named Peter too and the other was the robot man's kid.

Nadia huffed a laugh which blended with her puffs of breath. Peter Parker grinned under his mask and took the time to say, "Thanks, mister Starlord."

**::Just Starlord, kid.::**

"Looks like the swarm training is paying off," Nadia said, shooting several more streaks of magic.

Peter let out a breathless chuckle. "I don't think mister Stark ever thought we'd be fighting an army though." He reminisced about the days in the facility where they would have swarm training with the other trainees, a good chunk of them versus just him and Nadia.

**::Okay you two. Wanda whammied some of these dogs to fight for us and the new guy's ship is a huge bonus too, but there are still too many. We have to end this fast.::** Rhodey flew over them and continued a barrage of fire at the outrider army.

**::Redwing got close enough to their ships to spot some kind of command center.::** Falcon reported. **::If we take it out, these things might fall back.::**

"Or we can hijack their controls!" Peter said enthusiastically. "Whammy the whole army!"

**::Think you can use your magic to sneak yourselves over there, Sailor Moon? ::** Rhodey questioned.

The young woman hummed in thought, "If Falcon's Redwing can make another pass. Can we share visuals?"

**::You got it. ::** Sam replied in an affirmative as a notification popped up in the corner of her U. I.

Jacks chimed in, **::Visual connection request from a third party, accept? ::**

* * *

The suggestion was useful and went as speculated. Now, Peter and Nadia were sneaking around an alien ship. The only change was the logical addition of Nebula who was stalking in front of them.

Nadia had them in a cloaking bubble and they reached the top level surprisingly easily.

"Watch the door." Nebula grunted.

"Um... Miss Nebula? We can help." Peter raised his hand and point to Nadia and himself with the other.

Nadia could see the spark in his eyes. Even if this was definitely a dire situation, there was still a part of him that was the teen that wanted to poke around alien tech. Quill wouldn't let him touch anything on his ship's console on their way here.

Nebula rolled her eyes, "This is foreign to you, little boy. I have actually _been_ in one of these ships-"

"Go on you two. I can watch the door." Nadia shrugged, knowing it really would be smart to leave a lookout, "I'm actually not great with tech."

The blue alien stared with dark eyes at the earth woman for a moment before grunting out, "Fine." Nebula punched a panel on the side of the door and it hissed open, revealing a control room filled with what looked like were higher tier chitauri. She and Peter got to work while the door hissed shut behind them.

On her side, Nadia cast a silencing spell on the door to make sure none of the noise from the fight got out and alerted any other aliens.

"They're in." She reported quietly, eyeing a pair of armored chitauri that passed by the end of the hall.

**::Good.::** Rhodey. **::The sooner these pests are out of commission, the better. I'm out of explosive ammo. ::**

**::Same here.::** Sam. **::And these things just keep coming.::**

* * *

Steve put a hand on Bucky's shoulder and nodded solemnly at him.

The man returned the gesture with a deep breath and a squeeze to his pal's arm.

They'd get through this. And when it was over...

A loud metallic thump sounded and the two soldiers turned to see Ironman, faceplate lifting to reveal Tony's grim but grinning face. "Well, well. Nice seeing the seniors are doing their part."

Bucky tensed slightly. After all, they hadn't exactly parted ways with Howard's son in good terms.

"Tony..." Steve started, a little unsure of what to say.

"There'll be time to be mushy later, Capsicle." The billionaire glanced at Bucky, giving the former Winter Soldier the slightest of nods.

Truce... For now.

"Ready to take down this bastard?" Tony's faceplate snapped shut again just as sparks formed a ring behind the trio. Out stepped a man in blue robes and a red cloak. "Oh yeah, I brought a wizard along."

Said wizard shook his head, "Doctor Strange," He introduced himself, "Introductions later-"

With a burst of bright purple energy from the power stone, Thanos forced away the aliens that were pinning him down.

"-We have a titan to take care of." Strange held his hands up, arcane rings coming to life at his fingertips.

Steve's lips pulled up into his own grim smile as he turned to the Titan who was pushing himself to his feet.

"Let's take down this bastard."

* * *

**A/N: My longest chapter so far. Just over 3k words.**

**Bringing everyone to Wakanda was actually really hard. I had to make a list on paper of where everyone was. All of them being in one place makes it kind of chaotic to write. Lol. I hope I'm doing everyone justice. I know it can be difficult to keep everyone in character and battle scenes aren't my forte either. What do you guys think? I'd really like to know. Sadly, no reviews for the last two chapters. A bit discouraging, but... oh well...**

**Thanks to everyone who read and stuck with this story. We're nearing the end actually. Anything you want to see? Comments? Suggestions?**

**'Til next time.**


	11. Chapter 11

Strength in numbers.

While both sides had three stones each, Thanos had all of his in the gauntlet.

_Space_

_Power_

_Soul_

He could use them only _one _at a time.

On the other hand, three different people on their side were wielding the others.

Wanda used the mind stone to control a part of the outrider army to fight against the titan.

Loki twisted reality to launch creative attacks, deflect or render many of the Thanos' own offensive strikes almost harmless.

Doctor Strange, though he had the time stone, didn't use it as liberally. Rather, again conjured portals, like on Titan, to allow Steve and Bucky to get in some melee hits between the teeth and claws of the outriders.

A particularly strong barrage bought them a few precious seconds where Thanos was somewhat thrown off.

Tony followed with a concentrated repulsor blast and the titan had to put up his gauntlet hand to block some of the blinding assault.

Just when Thanos dropped his hand to try and throw another of his own attacks, a battle cry caught his attention. The next thing he knew, pain burst through his chest and he was face to face with the snarling god of thunder.

Thor looked _menacing_. He pushed the blade of his ax deeper into purple flesh, making Thanos gasp in pain. The god of thunder thought of his people, many of them slaughtered mercilessly. Loki, his _little brother, _kicking helplessly before... "You..." He growled deeply.

"Step aside brother, _my_ turn."

The smooth voice was deadly and almost soft, but it was enough to shock Thor into whipping his head back in the direction of the speaker.

The blond god stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed while Loki, _he was alive?!_, gathered red energy in his hands.

A high pitched yell, an enraged screech almost, cut through the air. "NO! _I'm_ finishing him!" Wanda's usual calm expression was twisted, her eyes glowed more yellow instead of red, her own fingertips burned orange.

**::Take the stones! While Thor has him stunned!::** A frantic plea cut through the comms.

Steve gaped, putting his hand on his ear, "Renny! You're supposed to be-"

Bucky also understood what her words implied. Renny wasn't far away like she should have been. She was close enough to see. _Close enough to_... "Wait!" He yelled out desperately.

Wanda threw her palms forward, releasing an orange wave of energy.

Loki similarly snapped one arm in an arcing motion, crackling red energy bursting from his fingers.

There was no way that one word could have stopped or even delayed the rage-fuelled attacks.

Thor had enough sense to jump away when the two bursts of energy shot toward him. Toward Thanos.

Doctor Strange used the time stone to slow the alien down just enough so he wouldn't get away. The titan, however, had partially opened a portal with the space stone to try and escape.

Four stones.

Fucking _four_ stones were in play!

A memory of what just _one_ could do to Renny flashed through Bucky's thoughts. Even falling from that train so long ago, when he thought he was going to die, he didn't feel the terror he did now.

A powerful explosion rocked the clearing, knocking practically everybody off their feet. A resulting shockwave echoed back through the trees.

A pained scream pierced through the forest and made a chill run down Bucky's spine.

"No." The one word felt like it took all the air from his lungs. He scrambled to his feet and shot toward the sound immediately.

Steve wanted to follow right behind his friend, but his focus was pulled back to the titan who had collapsed heavily on the ground. Thanos's purple skin was charred and cracked, especially on his arm, face, and neck.

Thor had recovered enough to take the opportunity to pull the gauntlet from the titan's weak hand.

What followed was brutal.

Combining her own powers with the mind stone, Wanda willed the titan to stay prone while she tore away at his psyche.

Loki used the reality stone to suffocate him, air suddenly unable to enter his lungs.

The titan gasped pitifully on the ground, his body twitching.

"Just end it, reindeer games!"

* * *

Thanos turned from the doctor he had knocked into a wall of rock and set his sights on the lone woman in front of him. The dark-skinned girl, the creature with the stone, and the red woman were nowhere to be seen.

The creature, the red woman, and the girl were the same ones from his strange visions...

It was this woman who seemed to be out of place.

Something told him that she was the one that had twisted the fates so that his goal was still out of reach where it would have been accomplished by now.

He stepped toward her slowly, "Stop trying to keep the stone away. Your efforts are admirable but pointless." If the woman was taken care of, he would win.

"Like hell." She growled at him.

The woman had to be dealt with, or she would constantly be transporting the stone away. He could find a way to keep following, but it was inconvenient and would waste time.

_Get rid of her. She doesn't belong here._

The feeling was insistent.

Clenching his fist, he released a blast of energy from the power stone. One strong enough to char the flesh of his quarry.

However, faster than he thought was possible, something had tackled the woman to the ground and shielded her.

Thanos' ire was building. Frustration led him to drive his fist into the two figures on the ground, but a third stopped him.

The dark-haired human's eyes were filled with fury.

Why was it that it seemed that even the universe itself strived to stop him now? Such a fickle thing.

The titan moved to deliver a punch to the human's head but was again stopped by the light-haired one.

The two combined their inhuman strength to push him back roughly. It would have been inconsequential, but a stinging barrage of plasma almost hit his head, blocked by his gauntlet.

"Eat plasma you crazy ass bastard!" A rodent creature yelled out.

_What was this?!_

It was infuriating, being forced back by the three who worked almost seamlessly one after the other.

Thanos' aggravation reached a high point, which was actually beneficial for him.

Fueled with frustration and rage, he yelled as he managed to close his fist.

The resulting wave from the power stone rendered the two humans unconscious, sending the rodent flying into the woman's arms and knocking her off her feet and into a rough roll.

He stalked toward the pair, the furry animal again firing at him. Thanos batted the shots away like flies this time.

The creature annoyed him, he would be first to die.

Shockingly, when he reached for the rodent who stupidly stood in front of the woman like it could protect her, the human did something incomprehensible.

She swept her hand up, a streak of purple energy blocking his reach.

Purple energy.

Power stone energy.

She visibly shook with the effort, but...

Impossible.

As she jumped back with the smaller creature in her arms, the shield crackled, releasing sparks of power that singed his skin.

It was _impossible_.

He shook his head. This had to be a joke. The universe was testing him.

Just then the ground beneath his feet began quaking. Over the chaos in the distance were sharp cries and shrieks that cut through the air. Faint at first, but getting louder with each passing moment.

The sound made a smirk pull at his lips.

Power was one way to defeat your enemies, but you could also overwhelm them with sheer numbers. Besides, it would be much more enjoyable to see her ripped apart. She deserved a slow death for all her meddling.

The woman must have realized her fate because she ran towards her unconscious companions.

No, she didn't deserve that comfort.

He grabbed her by the arm and held her off the ground. Fear clouded her eyes as she helplessly scrabbled for purchase with her free hand, trying to stabilize herself lest she accidentally twisted her trapped arm from its socket.

"Foolish girl, you can't stop this."

The blood drained from her face as she watched the trees of the forest give way to the mass of aliens coming their way. The titan smirked, ready to direct his army to tear this meddling woman apart.

She deserved pain, and what better way than to lose those you loved. A sickening snap was heard along with the woman's cry of pain as her forearm broke under his fingers. He then tossed her harshly, roughly ten feet away from her companions.

The outriders would reach them before she could crawl her way across. He relished in the look of agony in her eyes and the tears that streaked her cheeks as she cradled her broken arm to her chest and tried to push herself forward with just her legs.

The small furry creature was proving quite stupid as well, standing by the human woman. Thanos could respect his bravery, but even with several explosives on the animal's belt and a blaster cocked and ready, there was no way he could stand more than a few seconds against a mass of outriders, just one being more than ten times his size.

Finally, his army burst through the tree line and the woman and furry creature yelled. One in agony, the other in defiance.

The outriders ran on though, they did not stop, but what shocked the titan was that they assaulted _him_, burying him in a writhing mass of bodies.

The shock was enough to render him stupefied for a few seconds for the outriders to dig their claws and teeth into him. Through the throng of arms and legs, he saw the human woman had somehow reached and revived her companions. Now they were retreating.

Above him, he saw the red woman, the mind stone around her neck. Apparently, she was controlling a portion of his army.

"You took everything away from me," she seethed.

_No._ This wasn't how it would end. He was doing this for the betterment of the universe. He released a blast from the power stone to throw back the traitorous creatures.

He still had three stones-

Then red and gold- Stark had arrived, bantering with the two soldiers. The other woman had disappeared though. A ring of sparks formed behind the group and out stepped the wielder of the time stone.

Over the trees, he caught a glimpse of a spacecraft that had also exited from another mystic portal and began raining a hail of fire on his outriders left on the fields.

His dream for the universe was shattering around him, and though he would not admit defeat, he could feel his desperation rising.

The attacks against him were so well-coordinated, so many of earth's heroes taking part, that he couldn't help but feel some admiration cut through him. They were defending what they believed was for the best, foolish as it was. His goal was noble. Why couldn't they see that?

He could feel his injuries slowly but surely stacking up.

A blast from Stark made his vision turn white and for a second, he thought he was dead, then a burning pain sliced through his shoulder.

His vision cleared to reveal the raging gaze of the thunder god. One eye blazing blue, the other an abyssal dark brown, both furious, the ax of the god's weapon embedded deep in his flesh.

"You..." The simple word dripped with rage, so did the next

He was not sure what happened next... But his entire being was consumed by _pain_.

His limbs would not cooperate and he was forced face down on the ground. Even when he had managed to turn his head to the side, he could barely move anything else. It was like he was being pressed down into the earth and pulled apart at the same time.

He gasped, struggling to breathe as well. Bare wisps of air entered his lungs, but his heaving couldn't pull any more into them.

Before he could even think of trying to break through what was holding him down, even his mind was assaulted.

It had to be a trick.

Because he swore he saw his adopted daughter walking toward him, her stature small, like when he just saved her. _A little girl_.

Her boots stopped by his head, and he could only turn his eyes to try and see her face. "What would it cost? Your dream?" She was sad.

It felt like his heart was being stabbed, once again reminded of how he had to sacrifice the one thing he loved.

"Yes." She slowly got down on one knee to look him in the eye, "Like a knife through the chest. You'd let half the universe feel that loss." Blood trickled from her hairline, down her cheek like a tear. "Maybe there would be prosperity in the universe, but would those left behind all recover from being torn like that?"

Wetness slowly stained the chest of her tunic. Blood bloomed like a dark, ugly flower over her heart. Her small hands gently laid over the spot, almost like she might have been hiding something fragile in her fingers. Actual tears mixed with the blood on her face. She cried, and the sight twisted the blade in his chest.

He wanted to reach for her, his daughter-

One gasp.

Then... Darkness.

* * *

**A/N: Comments? Sorry it took so long to update though. I kept typing and retyping this arc, wondering if I was doing the right thing. Oh well, it's fanfiction, so anything is possible. Not completely satisfied with this chapter though. Thoughts?**

**Thanks again to everyone who read, added this story to their alerts, and those who took the time to drop a review. I'd love to know what you guys think of this chapter though.**

**'Til next time**


	12. Chapter 12

The axe fell.

And it was over.

Much too quickly.

The god of mischief snarled at his brother. "_Why_?! That monster deserved to suffer-"

His rant was cut off by Thor's burly arms wrapping around him tightly.

"You are alive." The blond breathed. His tone was disbelieving. In fact, Thor would have thought he was dreaming if Loki didn't feel real in his arms.

It took several seconds, but Loki's shoulders relaxed. Even the trickster could not help the softening of his visage when Thor was so sincere, "Of course, I-"

Suddenly, Loki collapsed, Thor carrying his brother's entire weight.

"Loki!" Thor cried, carefully placing him on the ground. The god snapped a murderous stare at the man standing behind him. "What did you do, Stark?!"

"Wow. That actually worked." Tony breathed out with a chuckle, amazed that the formula he had been tinkering with actually worked.

"Stark!" Thor roared.

The billionaire put his hands up, "Don't worry Point Break. It was just a tranq. Once we-"

Another massive set of explosions suddenly rocked the ground, this time coming from the outskirts of Wakanda. All those in the forest clearing could see that the alien mothership, as well as several of its counterparts, was going up in flames.

"Holy smokes! That looks fun. Looks like your team did their job." Rocket grinned, admiring the smoke and destruction. He sounded slightly wistful, like he wished he'd been the one to cause it.

**::Mister Stark!::** Peter Parker's voice crackled through the comms.

"Kid?" Tony grinned. He'd heard Rhodey assign Peter and Nadia to run an infiltration mission earlier. "Great work-"

**::It's Nadia! She- The fire...::** The boy was frantic.

Tony's heart suddenly felt heavier than when Yinsen had put that first magnet in his chest. He looked almost desperately to Steve, "You got this, right?"

Before the captain could voice out an affirmative, Tony had blasted away.

Steve took a breath and turned to the blond god, "I'm sorry, Thor. Loki's still... Well... Volatile. We'll have to keep him under until we can get the stone." he said somewhat apologetically. His last encounter with Loki, after all, was New York.

Thor sighed in resignation, "I know. I know."

It occurred to those in the clearing that the outriders had become inert, convulsing on the ground.

It was over.

But at what cost?

* * *

Renny had been keeping an eye on the fight with Thanos, even as she could feel the tingle of energy from the stones clashing with her own cloaking magic.

She had used a healing spell to reset the bone of her arm. However, it was definitely fractured and throbbed painfully from where she held it against her chest. The pain was inconsequential. There was no way she would just leave Bucky, Steve, and everyone after she spent her life finding ways to make sure this battle would go in their favor.

Her body was tense, ready to spring if they needed any sort of intervention. Everything looked like it was going well.

With three different people using the stones against Thanos, it was almost painfully _easy_ to subdue him.

The hell? Why was she even thinking that?! It was good that it was this easy.

She didn't know if her small interventions over the years had helped push this. She just thanked God that it would be over soon. The titan wouldn't achieve his goal.

That made her breathe a sigh of momentary relief.

Momentary because they still had to destroy the stones. They were too powerful to simply keep. Even if they could be used for infinite good, they could also be used for unimaginable atrocities.

A villain so driven like Thanos was not a one-time thing. There would always be the possibility of another such like-minded creature.

It was an inevitability, actually.

Thanos was now down and subdued. There was no need for her to keep hidden. Bucky was definitely going to be so very, _very_ mad at her for not following his request, his plea, to leave. She dropped her cloaking charm, sighing. She'd just-

The air was knocked from her lungs and pain radiated up her arm when something barrelled into her, knocking her off her perch.

What was it with things trying to run her over like a truck today?

Twisting, she maneuvered herself on top of her attacker. Her eyes widened at the sight of none other than Corvus Glaive. How could she forget about him? It would have been very easy for him to survive the fall from the labs.

Dammit.

She kicked off of him and he landed on his back while she skid on the ground into a crouch. Using her good arm, she kept herself up several feet away.

Corvus pushed himself up, looking feral, his lips pulled back in a fierce scowl.

He had actually been watching and waiting for some kind of opening to help his adoptive father. There were just too many of the opposition. He wouldn't get anywhere near Thanos before he himself was struck down.

Then he heard it.

"Take the stones! While Thor has him stunned!"

The woman from the labs, he deduced.

Her frantic instructions were enough for him to pinpoint her general location. Silently, he stalked in the direction the voice had come from.

All he needed was one more hint-

There!

The moment he saw the familiar shimmer in the air, there was no hesitation and he launched himself at the woman who had revealed herself.

The resulting fall had them tussling in the air and facing off on the ground.

Renny looked into his burning gaze and knew she had to pull out all the stops for this. Her regular attacks wouldn't be effective.

Adrenaline numbing the pain in her arm, she peppered Corvus with blasts as she willed the vambraces on her arms to gradually loosen their hold on her magical pathways. She felt the burning increase in her veins. Hotter and hotter.

When Corvus stumbled and she bought herself a few more extra seconds, she pulled as much interdimensional energy as she could to herself for one more finishing attack.

Then a shockwave blasted through the trees.

_Fire._

_Ice._

Her body felt like both were running through her veins, cutting through her chest, and coating her skin. Like she was being pulled apart.

It almost felt like the first time she arrived in this universe. Just a hundred times worse.

She screamed.

Her vision went white.

Then she could feel no more.

* * *

Corvus smirked as she fell to her knees. The woman looked ghostly now.

_Pale._

_Washed out._

_Weak._

And so very, _very_ fragile.

To think that this was the creature that had kept the mind stone away from his sire. Even dared to face the mighty Thanos alone.

"Pathetic..." Corvus spat, a scowl on his lips.

The alien's voice sounded like she was hearing it through water. Everything seemed like she was seeing it through a wall of water.

Renny's mind was slow, but she processed that Corvus had raised his glaive.

This was it then.

After so many years.

This was how she was going to go.

This was fine.

That shockwave could only have meant that they had somehow won, right? Corvus would only have that look in his eyes if Thanos' plan had failed.

This was okay.

She lived way longer than she should have, anyway.

Maybe there were some regrets...

Nadia... She would be the last Cappelli. But she had Peter, Tony... Like she'd told Anya before, Nadia was more a part of this universe than she or her mother.

Bucky.

_Oh, Bucky._

She loved him. She would always love him. And he'd move on from her. He had his life to live now thanks to Shuri's efforts. They'd had a blissful year and a half together. He deserved to find that bliss again.

That regret would probably follow her into the afterlife. Still, she'd achieved what she had lived almost her whole life for.

Their safety.

Their lives.

It was over and she never felt freer or more weightless in her life. The almost overwhelming burden on her shoulders that had constantly been weighing her down for almost eight decades had finally lifted.

This is okay.

Her eyes fell shut, ready for the blade to pierce her chest. Then she'd be completely free.

It never came.

Warm liquid splashed on her face and she opened her eyes to see a blade piercing through her would-be executioner's throat.

The alien gurgled, clutching at his mangled neck, another blade piercing through a seam in the side of his armor before he slumped, dead, to the ground, revealing a feral looking Bucky behind him.

The moment his eyes landed on her though, the ferocity immediately turned to something horrified.

Bucky knelt down to wrap his arms around Renny's back, cradling her to him.

"Oh God..."

She was so cold.

So very _very_ cold.

"Hey, Pancakes."

The woman glanced at the alien corpse a few feet from them, lips pulling up slightly at the sight of the knives she'd given to Bucky before the battle. Asgardian blades she'd gotten a long time ago. Her eyes were slightly glazed and unfocused from the memory. She was white as a sheet, her lips seemingly bloodless and her hair almost translucent.

Her face was spattered with the dark blood of the alien who'd almost killed her, but from her pale lips was a bright red trickle of blood.

Bucky ran his hands over her, but couldn't find any visible sign of injury. The brush of his fingers on her made her come back to herself.

"You know the stones mess you up. Why didn't you leave? " Bucky asked shakily.

Renny choked a laugh, "Not ever."

She wanted to put her hand on his cheek, but she could barely lift her arm. Her fingers twitched but it was almost she was detached from the rest of her body.

Bucky immediately took her hand in his own, lifting it to his cheek. Her skin was so cold, her fingers felt so fragile.

**::Thanos is dead. We have the stones secure.::** Steve said on the comms.

The following exclamations of relief and victory went unheard. They didn't matter.

"You hear that, Sunshine? It's done. He's gone." Bucky put his other hand on her cheek, the vibranium arm only registering the pressure of her leaning into his cool metal hand.

"That's nice..." Renny smiled, her expression tainted by the red that stained her teeth.

He bent his head down, touching his cheek to hers instead, needing to feel her.

_So cold._

He took a sharp breath and let go of her hand, scooping her up to his chest and getting up to his feet.

The hand he'd held to his cheek had moved to his neck, her fingers managing to cling there. She could feel his pulse beating strongly. Her head leant against his chest and she relished in hearing that same strong beat of his heart. It was soothing... Assuring... "This is nice..."

"I need a medic!"

Bucky ran as fast as his feet would carry him though he felt as though he was running a thousand miles through deep water.

"Shuri!?" The princess of Wakanda was a genius. Their tech was more than cutting edge. She'd managed to erase years of HYDRA's work in a few short months.

He didn't want to acknowledge how Renny's hand had gone limp and slid down from his neck.

_No._

Not after all this.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. Life happened. Oh well. Still, we're nearing the end again, I think. I'm polishing the next chapter, so hopefully it will be up in a few days to make up for the relative shortness of this chapter.**

**Thoughts? I'd love to know what you guys are thinking. Did it seem like Thanos died way too easily? I guess it's likely to go this way, for me anyway, since the Avengers had three stones instead of none, plus Loki, and the Guardians too. **

**So far, no reviews for the past chapter, which is a bit disheartening. Anyway...**

**'Til next time**


	13. Chapter 13

Using the Benatar to rip through Thanos' stupid army was more than definitely putting a dent in the rabid alien numbers. Even if it was kinda cool to be the cavalry, Peter Quill wanted to be closer to the action. His fingers itched to hold his blaster and fire it right at the ugly bastards' faces. Throw in some grenades too.

He wanted to find Thanos and kill the monster. Fists clenched tightly around the ship's controls at the thought.

Soft, hesitant fingers squeezed his arm, "Calm." The word sounded drawn out and breathy.

With it, the itch and the tension settled.

Mantis. Stark and the wizard had made her stay on the ship with Quill to keep him in check. The Starlord didn't like his emotions manipulated like this, but it was for the better.

He was doing a good job here. Aside from the fact that there were a lot of fighters already on the ground and Mantis was more of a gentle soul, Nebula had railed on him not go all cowboy on the way here.

"The only thing Gamora would have wanted is to make sure Thanos doesn't get his way," Mantis spoke softly, worried that her friend would do something stupid again. Drax said that it was characteristic of Quill to do something stupid.

The man took a deep breath through his nose, "Only because it's what you would have wanted."

"Yes, I think so," Mantis repeated and reassured, trying to give him an encouraging smile. "Maybe I didn't know Gamora for as long as you did, but I think that's what she would have had in her head."

A sudden explosion came from the forest to their far right, the shockwave rocking the Benatar.

"Holy mother- What?- Does that mean they got him?!" Quill wrestled with the controls to right the ship immediately.

Mantis' eyes were wide, "It was like on Titan."

Quill wanted to know and quickly directed the ship towards the forest but was distracted by a voice coming through the comms a little shrilly.

**:: Oh gosh. Oh gosh. I think there was a self-destruct trip.::** It was the spider kid.

**:: Okay, okay. That's fine.::** That was the other robot dude. Probably trying to sound calm so the kid wouldn't get more riled up.

Quill put his own two cents in, "Just get your butts out of there juniors. Likely that's a chain-"

Mantis gasped and grabbed the man's shoulder, redirecting his gaze to the assumed command ship, "Look!"

A ring of sparks had formed a level down from what he guessed was the command center. Two figures jumped out. The spider kid deployed a parachute before grabbing hold of Nebula and gliding safely away from the flaming mess.

Where was the robot girl?

A feeling in his gut had him abruptly turn the ship towards the sparkly portal. A burst of flame came from the ring, followed by explosions from the other ships. The Benatar's shields kept them safe but the turbulence once again shook the ship.

"Strap in!" He commanded Mantis. Quickly, she got to her seat.

Through the flames of the first blasts, Quill saw a third figure launch through the portal before it closed and the command ship exploded.

"Oh shit," From what he knew, the girl couldn't fly.

With swift maneuvering, he managed to swoop the ship down and up to sort of scoop the girl out of the air.

It was faint, but through the sounds of multiple explosions, he heard a solid thump on the roof of the ship.

"Let's hope she can hold on tight."

* * *

When Tony landed, the sight of so much blood made ice run through his veins.

Peter was sobbing, kneeling on the grass, cradling a limp form in his arms.

"Y-you're okay. You're o-okay." The kid's voice cracked.

_Oh God._

The insect lady was kneeling by Peter, a gentle hand on the forehead of the pale figure.

_Nadia._

Peter's mask was off and his suit was stained with blood. The red color of the fabric didn't help. There was crimson smeared on his cheek where he tried to swipe away his tears. There was more on the grass.

Even Mantis' fair skin had a few spatters.

_No._

_No. No. No._

The word echoed over and over in his head, his feet feeling heavy as he forced himself to walk closer.

"H-Hey, Dia... Y-your dad's here. Mister Stark, she-"

**::-multiple cuts... A deep laceration... She lost a lot of blood. ::**

FRIDAY's voice in his ear was faint, whatever the AI was saying was being drowned out by high pitched ringing.

The man saw the source of the blood, a wound on the column of his daughter's neck.

One that was partly bandaged by a silvery patch of webbing.

Everything seemed to come back into proper focus.

"She feels pain. But relief as well." Mantis looked up at Tony.

The man sucked in a breath, his gaze finally falling on Nadia's pale, clammy face, now turned toward him with Peter's slightly loosened grip.

Nadia was looking at him, a small smile on her lips. They parted slightly like she was trying to say something, but all that came out was a wisp of air that sounded like a wheeze. She flinched.

"No, Dia. D-don't." Peter scolded, but his moist eyes were filled with relief. He pulled her back to him. Tony realized that Peter had converted his suit's internal heater to an external one, making him a human electric blanket. Warmth was crucial for someone who lost so much blood.

"Trying to speak hurts her," Mantis reported like it wasn't obvious.

Quill stepped down the ramp of his ship, "I found the medkit. There's gotta be something here."

Nebula grabbed the case from him, scoffing. "It's your ship's kit, and you don't know what's in it." Her voice was flat and condescending. Opening it, she pulled out two pen-like devices and wordlessly handed them to Tony. Even she could sense that the man needed to do this.

**:: They seem to be an antibiotic and an anesthetic.::** FRIDAY informed after a scan. **:: Miss Nadia needs to lay flat with her legs raised slightly. ::**

Tony knelt by Peter this time, armor melting away and retracting into his chest piece. He coaxed the teen to lay his daughter down on the grass, putting his hand on Nadia's arm too, "Kid's right, sweetie. You're okay. You're gonna be okay."

She was in danger, but she could definitely be saved. He did his best to make that the only thought in his mind.

_So much blood though._

_So much blood._

_She needs a transfusion._

But these would have to do for now. To prevent further complications. There were two hisses as Tony administered the first aid medication.

Peter was less shaky now, "See, Dia. Even mister Stark said it-"

A screech suddenly cut through the air, quickly followed by several beams of energy.

Just then Tony noticed the blue and red-clad blonde standing with her fists out. His gaze turned to the charred bodies behind him.

Outriders.

**:: Something's wrong. ::** Sam's voice suddenly came through the comms. **:: These aliens- shit! They're going berserk!::**

"But Thanos is dead!" Tony shot up, "And their command ship was blown up!"

The hell?!

What was wrong with the universe?

Wasn't there enough death and destruction already?

"The self-destruct wasn't the only fail-safe." Nebula muttered, the man barely catching it. "I think they reprogrammed the army to keep going even after command shut down."

It had been silent a few moments ago, but now the shrieks and squalls were starting to build again.

"There's too many. And the fight's gone on too long, it'll be hard to pick out ours from theirs even if we have another powerhouse here." Quill gestured to the blonde woman who took off thirty feet into the air and began blasting at more outriders that tried to charge toward their location. Seeing the question in Tony's eyes, he continued, "She was the one who actually blew up the other ships. And she caught your kid too."

Apparently, the thump he had heard was the new arrival landing on the roof of the Benatar after catching Nadia.

Tony had to think... How could they win this?

"Wh-What?" Peter's somewhat hoarse voice pulled his attention. Nadia had raised one hand and tugged at his wrist, gesturing with the other hand and curling it into a fist. The movement of her fingers was weak, but Tony understood.

"The stones." He put a hand to his comms, "The gauntlet?"

Steve was the one to reply,**:: It's here, but Tony-::**

"Thanos was going to snap away half the universe. Why can't we use it to get rid of his army?" Ironman went through the scenario in his head.

Quill stepped forward, "Man, I hear you, and not that that's not a great idea, but using just one stone almost killed me a few years back."

Steve spoke up again, **:: Wanda used the mind stone... But... She's not an option right now.::**

Another wrench in the works. But not the immediate problem.

"Thor. He can do it." Tony suggested.

**:: Nope. No. He might look fine right now, but he practically got barbecued by a star less than two hours ago if you can believe it-::** Rocket chimed in. There was an indignant grunt from the raccoon before the thunder god's voice came through.

**:: Thank you for your concern, dear rabbit, but I can handle it.::**

"M-Mister Stark? I think Nadia is trying to say that... Miss Danvers can do it?" Peter looked back at the magic-user for confirmation. The young woman managed a small nod.

"Danvers?"

She was a total stranger he met literally five minutes ago.

Yes. She saved his daughter from falling to over a hundred feet to the ground... But that didn't mean she got his instant trust. They were talking about a weapon that could wipe out half the universe here!

**:: Yes, Danvers.::**

The voice made Tony's jaw drop, "Fury?!"

**:: Your little flower friend wouldn't stop bothering me about it, so I called Danvers in. You can trust her, Stark. ::**

"Flower friend? And where the heck are you?"

**:: Renny?::** Steve spoke up.

**:: Yes. And I'm doing some damage control in New York. From what I can tell, you need to get your asses moving over there. All you need to know is that I trust Danvers.::**

_Fury?_

_Trust?_

Those two words did not go together.

**:: Believe me, friends, I can do it!-::**

**:: Stop yelling in my ear, thunder! Give me that before you hurt yourself - ::**

**:: Whatever you decide, it has to be quick. The casualties are rising here on the field. ::** Shuri cut in breathlessly.

**:: Renny always knew what she was doing.::** Steve paused. There had to be a reason she'd bugged Fury about the newcomer. Was this it? **:: Can Danvers get here? We'll prep the gauntlet. ::**

**:: Tell Quill to bring my stuff. I'll whip something up to get the other stone out of Thor's brother.::**

Tony ran a hand over his face.

He still had to make sure. Grabbing the bag Quill was holding, he re-engaged his suit.

"I'll make sure Danvers gets to the clearing." He didn't want to leave, but he just had to make sure. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Peter, "Good thinking with the heater. Keep her warm and keep her safe 'til I get back, kid."

The teen nodded, cradling Nadia to himself again.

* * *

**A/N: Another shorter chapter. I think I should have combined this and the previous chapter. Anyway, the battle from different perspectives. The next few chapters will be wrapping things up. Gosh, it's almost over. There's a plot bunny hopping around in my head that will start off another story, but I don't know if I should write it. I'd rather wrap things more neatly and post the other story once I get more time and I feel more committed to the idea. The next chapters gonna make up for the shorter ones since it's almost two times longer. So there's that. **

**Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed this story! Things have been pretty shitty with life lately, and getting to hear (read) from you guys is one of the things that helps keep me happy. You really make my day even with just a few words.**

**'Til next time**


	14. Chapter 14

Three months...

Almost four.

Had it already been _that_ long since they had defeated Thanos?

The plan had worked.

Danvers was able to use the gauntlet to harness the six infinity stones and turn what was left of Thanos' army into dust. It had been decided later on that it was much too dangerous to keep any of the stones. They didn't want a repeat of Xandar, a planet that the Guardians had said was completely decimated when the titan took the power stone. So, barring the time stone at Strange's adamance, the rest were tossed into the quantum realm, where they would be lost forever.

The victory didn't come without cost though. Wakanda had suffered many casualties among its border tribe and fighters in general. The outskirts of the African nation, along with many smaller Wakandan villages, had also been thoroughly ravaged. It was where most of their agriculture took place as well as where their mounts, like rhinos, were housed and raised. However, they were a hardy people and had been steadily recovering since the battle.

The rest of the Earth remained somewhat untouched by Thanos' quest. Only Manhattan and Edinburgh had been hit by the Black Order's first attack to try to retrieve the time and mind stones.

The human planet could consider itself very lucky, considering what happened to Xandar, the dwarves of Nidavellir, and the Asgardians.

At the end of everything, the universe had been spared from unimaginable loss and destruction, but for Bucky Barnes, the victory seemed a bit empty.

The former Winter Soldier knew he had a lot to be grateful for, one of the biggest things was that his best friend, Steve, had come out alright. The world that Renny loved was hurt and damaged, but recovering quickly.

However, his heart was still heavy with grief.

* * *

The sun was shining and a gentle breeze was blowing as well.

She would have loved it.

The peace.

Bucky breathed heavily, stepping forward, his eyes on the small bouquet in his hands.

"Hey there, Sunshine. Sorry I've been away for a while. I brought Baby's Breath this time." Dutifully, he replaced the wilted flowers with the fresh bunch.

Steve had come with him. The blond watched his pal adjust the flowers idly, a tremor in his fingers visible for a split second. Bucky had refused to leave at all the first week. When Shuri said that his behavior was helping no one and that Renny wouldn't have liked him neglecting himself, he'd relented. He spent his day going through the motions of maintaining his farm, training, and helping with the reconstruction around the outskirts of Wakanda.

Still, when the sun began its descent, he would return to that same spot and stay for as long as he could.

* * *

Peter sat on the grass, looking at the ripples move across the lake.

He came here when he could. He made a promise, after all. And he would have happily taken up this responsibility even if Nadia hadn't made him promise.

Sparks came to life in a ring by the lakeside, a breeze blowing through, and out walked the god of mischief.

A green gaze fell on the teen and the trickster nodded, "The spider. Good, I need to speak with the Soldier."

Peter shot up from his seat, "Yeah... Uhm yes, mister Loki. Mister Barnes is-"

"Of course." The god brushed by the teen brusquely, strides long.

"_Loki_!" A raspy voice cut through the air, coming from a second figure that walked through the portal before the sparks dissipated. Nadia had a frown on her face because her teacher had been rude to her best friend. The trickster ignored her and kept walking.

"Nadia!" Peter smiled, his heart doing a flip, "Glad you're back!"

She grinned back and opened her arms to give him a warm hug. When he wrapped his arms around her, he got close enough to see the scars on her neck.

"Glad to be back," She said, her voice somewhat wispy.

Another reminder. It would forever be a mark of that fight, not just the scars.

Peter gave her an extra squeeze around her middle, taking a few more moments before pulling back. He knew it was a bit irrational, but he still had a lingering fear each time she left for a research mission that she wouldn't... She might-

"How's? ..." Nadia started but trailed off, her expression turning neutral.

The teen just shook his head. "No change. I'm sorry."

Nodding somberly, she looked at the medical building that sat over the ridge. After a few moments of contemplation, she looked back at him, determination and hope in her eyes. "Loki and I might have found something."

* * *

Almost four months and nothing had changed.

She lay on white sheets, hair almost just as white now instead of the silvery grey it had been. Renny had always been fair-skinned, but it had turned and stayed a shade paler than was healthy since the battle.

Small and lean she had been since the '40s... But now she seemed fragile.

Breakable.

Bucky wished that she had just been sleeping. Well... She was... But she hadn't woken up at all since she had fallen unconscious in his arms.

He remembered how Strange, Shuri, Stark, and Banner had all helped, had all taken a look at her.

They said that it was almost like she had gotten burned and electrocuted at the same time. From the inside. Blood had come from her shot lungs, which had been the source of the blood in her mouth. Renny also suffered from a severe case of shock, which explained her pale and cold skin.

With how many medical experts and geniuses there were on hand, as well as a Sorcerer Supreme and master of magic to boot, they were able to get her physically stable.

However, that was it. She was stable, but they did not understand why she hadn't woken up yet. The woman had simply stayed asleep and weak with no signs of getting any better. She breathed softly on her own, chest barely rising and falling. The only sign that she wasn't completely gone.

"The sun's really nice today, Doll." Bucky took his usual seat by her bed and held her hand in both of his.

Steve couldn't tell what hurt more. He had an idea of what his pal had been going through. It had been painful for the blond to watch Peggy slowly succumb to her own illness. Though, unlike his friend, they'd still had time together. Time for them to talk and him to come to grips with the fact that the woman he'd loved would leave the world soon.

On the other hand, Bucky was stuck in limbo. Not knowing if Renny would suddenly wake up or if she would just stop breathing.

Hold on.

Or start letting go.

"Captain."

Steve's hackles still raised at the sound of the smooth voice.

One reason the trickster got the chance to move freely was that he offered to help search for some way to help Renny.

He didn't trust the god of mischief, but he trusted Nadia and Thor. They both vouched for Loki. That and Tony made a sort of failsafe based on the cuffs they'd used on the dark-haired god when they'd sent him home with Thor and the Tesseract back in 2012.

Tony assigned the panic button for that to Nadia. Steve was also pretty sure the man had his own panic button or he would have never let his daughter go off on her own with the trickster to do research.

"Loki." The blond responded stiffly, arms folded over his chest.

The tension was palpable, so Nadia stepped in between them, clearing her throat. "Hey, Uncle Steve." She hugged the man, and he returned it, patting her on the back. Honestly, every time Nadia came back, he sometimes had to convince himself that she was real, and okay, and whole.

Anya, her mother, had been killed by Thanos when he had assaulted Thor's ship. Apparently, the woman had used an illusion on herself so she could replace Loki. She'd saved him from getting his neck snapped.

That was the final reason the trickster was allowed his freedom. Anya had to have seen something in him that was worth saving. Worth dying for. And Steve had gotten to know the woman enough over her visits to Wakanda to know that she was a good judge of character.

"_Taica_," Nadia called to Bucky. It was a Romanian endearment. The counterpart of what the youngest Capelli called Renny. "Loki and I found something that will help _Maica_ wake up." Her voice was hopeful.

Bucky visibly straightened in his seat.

The god of mischief stepped forward, shaking his head. "_Nadia_, " He scolded. It was always best to be straightforward. "It's a theory. And it's risky. It involves cutting Lady Renny off from all magic._ All_ of it. If this works, she won't be able to use any form of sorcery anymore."

Bucky ran his fingers over Renny's own. "That means more than Renny just being a regular person, doesn't it?"

Loki nodded. The soldier was perceptive, "Her body has relied on arcane energies for her to survive for almost eight decades with slowed aging and a lengthened lifespan." He looked at the figure of the said woman on the bed.

_So fragile._

And to think that she could have been one of the most powerful creatures in the universe, knowing the fate of so many. It was a pity he never had the chance to speak to her. "This means that the procedure could kill her outright or actually work and being cut off from the interference of magic in her body will let her recover enough to return to consciousness."

Bucky stayed silent, continuing to rub his thumb in circles over the back of Renny's hand.

" Trickster!" Shuri appeared at the entry of the room, huffing slightly," How many times should I remind you that I should be here if you have any possible ideas for our patient's treatment? " The princess put her hands on her waist. Peter trailed behind Shuri, obviously the one to have called her. Loki rolled his eyes, annoyed at how this so-called princess was so brash when she talked to him.

Steve was the one to speak next," He wants to cut Renny off from magic. _All_ magic. "

Shuri nodded contemplatively, a hand on her chin, "I thought Miss Renny relies on magic to stay alive. But if bad reactions to magic are what caused her to fall into similar situations before, what you are suggesting could work. But it could also kill her if we're wrong."

"Just what I was saying," Loki said flatly.

It was Shuri's turn to roll her eyes, "Which is why I need to be here whenever-"

Bucky's query prevented an argument between the two from breaking out, "Is there still a chance for her to wake up on her own?"

Shuri sighed, reigning in her urge to sass the so-called god and shaking her head, "I'm so sorry White Wolf. It has been almost four months. Though she has not been getting worse," The princess flicked her wrist to pull up a graphic of Renny's charts above her palm, "She has not been getting any better either."

_Slim to none._

Loki stood rigid, not used to being around so many of earth's heroes. Well, there was that time in New York, but nevertheless..." Even if the spellwork succeeds and Lady Renny does wake up, there is no telling what the side effects will be. Undoubtedly, she will be weak. She will still be able to function, to _what_ extent, I cannot say. If it will be permanent, I cannot say either," He sighed speaking slowly, "What's more... There is no telling how long she will have. Weeks... Months... Unfortunately, much of the damage already done is irreparable."

Bucky put his head in his hands, fingers pulling his hair. What would she want? There was no doubt what he wanted... But... It was selfish.

"I will leave you to decide. But it's best you do so soon-"

"Let's do it."

It was Nadia who spoke, her voice wispy. "We need to _try_. She would want to see what she worked her whole life for." She could blame the rasp in her voice on her battle scars, not the lump she felt in her throat.

Nadia knew that her grandfather would never be the one to ask for it. Maybe it would be what her grandmother wanted, but a part of the young woman knew that she was being a bit selfish too.

* * *

_Sparks formed lines that burned in the air, stretching and angling before meeting again._

_A door formed in the middle of the forest clearing._

_"Maica always said, if we defeated Thanos, she owed it to you to know the truth."_

_Those with her fidgeted, just stared at the door apprehensively, or kept a neutral mask on. All of them wondered what was on the other side._

_Bucky had some idea. Renny had spilled much to him months before in Wakanda._

_Steve was with him._

_Loki idled by the tree line. Even he was actually somewhat aware. Anya had told him that she was something of a seer._

_Peter shook slightly, anxious. "I understand mister Rogers and mister Barnes being here... But..."_

_Nadia nodded, "She also gave my mother and I the choice to tell those we were guarding."_

_"Guarding?" Peter parroted, his throat tight._

_Nadia swallowed. She was likely the last Outsider now. She always thought she'd have both her mother and grandmother beside her when they let the cat out of the bag. This was her burden now though, and she accepted it. The last burden._

_Beyond the door was something out of a medieval setting. Hardwood floors and stone walls comprised an entry room of some sort, an arch leading to another area._

_"We called this place the Archives. Maica made it to make sure everything she knew was recorded and kept safe." Nadia explained. "This was also her safe place if being outside ever got too overwhelming."_

_Moving through the arch, they were standing on a balcony overlooking a very large sitting room. There was a fireplace, a coffee table, and two long couches set perpendicular to one another._

_High windows dotted one side, the view being that of the nighttime forest._

_Nadia led them to the clear space in front of a tall bookcase that lined most of another wall. Taking a deep breath to steady herself and push the doubt tingeing her thoughts to the back of her mind, she lifted her arms, holding them palm upwards at her sides._

_Fingers lit up with arcane energy as she closed her eyes, sparks lit up in a circle around her feet. From the circle, several lines branched out, burning their way to the walls of the main archives room. They popped and sizzled, and for a second nothing happened._

_Peter opened his mouth to ask a question when an almost ghost-like projection slowly appeared._

"Okay... I hope this works..." _It said when it looked almost solid._

_In front of the group stood a much younger version of Renny- bright-eyed and her person bearing much more color._

"I'm making this because I don't really know if I'll get to explain it to you in person or not... But I guess I didn't make it if you're seeing this."

_The projection sighed before straightening, _"No use being so negative when I've barely started, but... My name is Perennial Cappelli. I was fifteen when I got here. This dimension or universe anyway."

_Peter gaped, "Oh my God. So the multiverse exists?! That is so cool! I can't belie-" Nadia put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Though the teen quieted, he was still vibrating with excitement at the revelation._

"My dimension's just like this, without any superheroes or aliens or anything though... Well, the aliens, that can still be true, I guess. But I'm getting off track here." _Renny's image fidgeted, _"My world knows all about yours though... Because... Well... I mean fanfiction and stuff are bound to still exist here. So the trope should be common, right? Girl getting thrown into her favorite movie, knowing all kinds of things..." _The projection rolled her wrist in a nonchalant gesture._

_A gasp echoed in the dim room," We're fictional? " Peter was wide-eyed. Though he guessed that the shock of the revelation wasn't as jarring as it could have been. They thought Thor was fictional. Now they studied him in their physics classes._

_Younger Renny continued on, _"Just how much I knew... Well... Enough to be terrified that anything I did might result in horrible consequences... And I got thrown into the first movie of the chronological timeline."

_Scenes from different times played around them all, a spell shimmered in the air that would help the observers absorb the information. Renny had also thought ahead, making sure that what each person saw was tailored for them, keeping personal information personal, and the gist of the would-have-been-future something they would all see._

_When the medley ceased, they were left breathless._

_Bucky had to brace his arms on the stone wall, feeling almost nauseated._

_Steve ran his hands through his hair to try and calm his rapidly beating heart._

_Loki turned away from the group, his mask still in place, but much paler if you took a good look at him._

_Peter fell to his knees." Oh, God. "_

_He had been fourteen when he'd gotten his powers, and he'd felt overwhelmed in that first month. Still, he'd had his aunt May and Ned to support him, even when they didn't know he was Spiderman._

_Miss Capelli didn't have anyone._

_She'd had no one. She wandered for a month right when the Great Depression took hold of America._

_Then she found out that she knew stuff from more than seventy years in the future. Holy shit... It was a miracle that she didn't just lose it._

_Nadia looked at everyone worriedly, "Maybe I should-"_

_The image flickered and a Renny dressed in casual clothes pranced into view, a wide smile on her face._

_"Don't stop it." Bucky managed to breathe out shakily. He needed to know. And... he didn't want Renny to disappear again just yet. Even if it was just a recording._

_The projection giggled. The man couldn't help the look of awe on his face. Yes, there had been the quiet moments of a carefree Renny while they had been together in Wakanda. But this... He'd never seen her almost... Bubbly._

_They were transfixed again._

"Have you ever seen anything so adorable?"

_Oh my God._

_Was that?_

"These kids are what keep me going. This is Tony. Tinker terror."_ She held up a picture of a boy, face and hands smeared with grease while he worked on what looked like the engine of a car. _"Howard... I shouldn't have... well... Now, he's always so critical of Tones. That's why he's always so eager to impress when I drop by. He calls me Auntie Penny."_ She chuckled again. Bucky loved the sound. It was like something out of a dream._

"This is Bruce." _She held up another picture of a different boy about the same age, reading a book in a library, curls falling into his eyes. _"I play a library assistant at his school. He's such a bookworm! Who'd ever think this little sweetheart would become the Hulk?-"

"Mama?"

_A young girl, maybe ten or eleven, stepped into the projection. _"Diary again?"

_The woman laughed, gesturing with her hands and pulling the girl into her lap. _"I'm just happy, sweetheart. Do you want to talk about the kids we visit?"

_There was no mistaking her, it was little Anya. Bucky's breath caught in his throat and Steve put a steadying hand on his friend's shoulder. This was so much to take in._

"Tony's stuck up. I don't like him."_ Anya tried to suppress the pout on her face, obviously putting up the guise of being a big girl._

"Then who do you like?"

"Clint is cool. Scott is very funny, oh!-"_ Little Anya gestured animatedly at one picture and smiled widely._

_After a few more moments, the two flickered away as well._

_An older Renny appeared, hair grayed and dark circles under her eyes._

"I-I can't... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It won't let me. I tried. I tried so hard. But something won't let me. I can't just..."_ The projection fell on her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks as she shook her head, _"Please. God, let this just end! I'm not strong enough..." _She clutched at her chest like she had been shot. _"I can't do anything!"_ She wailed, the sound like that of a dying animal. The image of Renny curled in on herself-a ball on the ground. She pulled her knees close to her chest, digging her face into her kneecaps and screaming._

_A teenage Anya ran into the frame, kneeling to the floor and wrapping her mother tightly in her arms._

_Bucky stepped forward, his hand reaching when he abruptly stopped himself, clenching his fists. Bone and metal creaked alike they would crack from the tension._

_How his family... His family!... Had suffered. Anya had to help keep her mother together. He should have been there. He should have been there. And yet he was one thing adding to their pain. Her pain. She really did love him too much._

_The image flickered one more time, Renny pale, her hair silvery, eyes tired, and resigned smile on her lips._

"I did what I could. Well, I tried to make sure all of you turned out alright. That me being here didn't ruin your lives. I hope it was enough, even if it was mostly just keeping you on the path I'm familiar with. I understand if you hate me now... For letting so much suffering go by... I could say I'm sorry a thousand times over and it wouldn't diminish my own guilt. But I couldn't change too much, knowing what was coming. I love you all too much."

_The projection smiled shakily and choked back tears._

"I hope it all turns out okay. I really do."

_Nadia took a shaky breath, her eyes were moist, and her muscles taut as a bowstring. Still, she stood as straight and tall as she could manage. She was afraid. So afraid._

_Now it was all out._

_Steve, Bucky, Loki, and Peter were standing quiet. The tension was so thick, it felt suffocating._

_One minute passed._

_Three__._

_She couldn't take the continued silence. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse not just because of her injury from the battle, "M-Maica... My mother... We all... We did what we could-"_

_Her breath left her as Peter almost bowled her over with an aggressive hug. "You did."_

_The teen was in awe of their family's strength. Their resolve. Their perseverance._

_He'd seen how things would have turned out. He knew how Nadia had done her best to keep him safe within the boundaries of his supposed fate. When she'd saved him even when he was supposed to turn out fine. She'd willingly walked with eyes wide open into pain if it meant he would suffer just a bit less, have a few more moments of happiness._

_At those words, a weight that had been on Nadia's shoulders ever since she became an official Outsider disintegrated. Her fear that those she also loved so much would turn away from her when they found out the truth. Her arms wrapped tightly around Peter, relief washing over her like a wave. When she felt Bucky also put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and Steve moved in to hold her tightly, she broke down._

_Her knees buckled and if it weren't for the people around her, she would have sunken to her knees on the floor. Hiccups came from her throat, slowly building into whimpers, then sobs of complete relief. All her fear bled out of her in the form of uncontrollable tears._

_"You did good, Nadia. You. Did. Good," Steve spoke, rubbing circles on her back._

_"I'm proud of you, kid. Alright?" Bucky said softly, his voice a little shaky. His free hand brushed repeatedly through her hair and he kissed the top of her head. __"So very proud."_

_Nadia could only cry harder._

* * *

_Loki wanted to comfort his student as well, but he could not bring himself anywhere near the close-knit group. He needed a moment to breathe, especially when he had seen the ghost of Anya as a child and as an adolescent. However, he couldn't bring himself to leave either._

_So these were the archives?_

_Slowly, he walked toward the tall bookshelf that lined one wall, trying to distract himself from the pain he felt once again cutting through his chest. There were gaps in the tomes here and there. Some spaces held knick nacks and-_

_**Loki**_

_There was one space with a folded piece of parchment, his name written on it. His breath caught in his throat. The four letters of neat script were enough to tell him who wrote it._

_There was a tremor in his fingers when he reached for the letter, so he paused to breathe deeply. Loki picked up the paper and unfolded it, lines of her curling writing greeting him. He had to keep his shaking fingers from curling and wrinkling the parchment. _

**_Words were never my strong suit, you know that. I hope my actions were enough._**

**_Perhaps I took up your fate because of gratitude, you saved my life and Nadia's before she was even born after all. I never told you, did I?_**

**_I was the stupid midgardian girl you saved in that dark alley from that "filthy thug"._**

**_Perhaps you don't even remember. Maybe you already knew, but I never said so because I would not risk you doubting yourself, or thinking I only became your friend out of a sense of debt or obligation. Forgive my paranoia. It's not that I don't trust you, I fear losing you._**

**_Getting to know you, stand and fight beside you, explore Asgard with you, talk with you, and just spend time with you is an honor that I will always delight in. You are a great man, Loki. _****_You carry yourself with pride, believe in it. _****_Your heart is a complex wonder that you underestimate. Learn not to. Your mother saw it. Thor sees it. I was lucky to know it. _**

**_You are more than my friend, Loki. You are more precious than that to me. My brother, my confidant, my king. (Yes, I know that you always tried to pry that last title from me, so here it is, laugh your heart out. I will never say it out loud, so be content with this.)_**

**_These next words, I know I've said to you, but never forget-_**

**_I love you._**

**_You make my life more than what I thought it could be. You taught me and continue to remind me that I am more than just an observer._**

**_Thank you._**

**_Your darling,_**

**_Anya_**

* * *

**A/N: As I said, much longer chapter. Not much that I can really say about this chapter, except that I'm actually not entirely satisfied with the flashback part. I'm not exactly sure which part of it... Anyway, I'd love to know what you guys think. Especially when it comes to Anya's little ILY to Loki. How does that come across based on the letter and what you've seen of them interact? I'm very curious.**

**Thanks again to everyone who's continued to stick with this story, added it to their favorites and alerts, and those who take the time to review. This arc of the Capelli family story is wrapping up and will come to an end soon.**

**'Til next time.**


	15. Chapter 15

When Steve tried to steer him away from the room, Bucky wouldn't budge. There was no way he would go any further away than was completely necessary. He would have stayed in the room if Loki hadn't been so adamant. Nadia had backed up the trickster as well.

"Taica, I'm sorry. We _really do_ need the room." She looked apologetic. "We'll let you back as soon as we can." She hugged him tightly. Though Nadia did her best to rein in her own nervousness about assisting Loki with the difficult spell, Bucky could feel the tension in her body.

He hugged her back tightly, "You can do this." They held each other for a moment, trying to give their reassurances through the contact.

This had to work.

Before Bucky finally stepped out, he held Renny's hand, squeezing it and leaving a lingering kiss on her forehead. "I'm right outside, Sunshine. Right outside." Steve sat beside him on the set of chairs by Renny's door as it shut.

Peter would also have been there to provide what moral support he could, but he was still a student, not just an Avenger. Nadia insisted that she would be alright even if he went back to Queens. She would keep him updated. Besides, if anyone knew what they were doing when it came to magic, it was Loki.

With their enhanced hearing, both super soldiers picked up Loki's voice when after almost an hour of silence he said, "Let's begin."

* * *

Five days.

It had been five days since the procedure. A process that took several hours. Two to carefully scribe the runes and lay the proper components, another to chant and cast the spell, and a few more minutes to let it settle.

Not much had changed during the first day. It was on the third that a hint of color had returned to Renny's lips. Bucky also swore up and down that her hand felt warmer in his. Steve smiled and agreed with his friend. He didn't have the heart to tell him no. Her skin still felt cool under his touch.

Nadia would have stayed as much as her grandfather did by her _Maica's_ side, but Loki would somehow coax her out of the room a few times. Steve guessed that the trickster somehow manipulated the youngest Capelli. He knew Nadia was actually strong enough to stave off most of that kind of magic, as she had bragged to him before, but was obviously drained from performing the spell that would help Renny. So he let it slide. One thing he could be sure about the god of Lies was that he _really_ did care about Nadia's well-being.

When Nadia would return, Steve would try his own hand at convincing Bucky to do the same, but the man wouldn't budge.

"I can't... I just _can't_ leave her this time, Steve." Bucky's voice was hoarse as he shook his head. He remembered how Renny had stuck with him even when he was the Winter Soldier. Memories of her treating him behind the backs of his HYDRA handlers became clearer in the last few months since going to the archives. Everything she did for him… This was_ inconsequential_ compared to that.

Steve sighed, "She loves you, Buck. You know just how much. She'd be mad at you for treating yourself like this."

The dark-haired man shook his head once again and just repositioned himself in his seat.

"Please, _Taica_. At least eat something." Nadia pleaded. She brought some sandwiches and a small bag of cookies with her.

"Or take a shower, or a walk." Steve listed down, "Just take a breather. It's not healthy to be staying in this room." The man tried to reason.

Bucky didn't feel like eating. He wasn't hungry. He didn't really want anything but for Renny to open her eyes. "I don't-"

"Quit bickering." A barely there voice spoke.

All arguments immediately stopped, heads all whipping to focus the figure on the bed. Pale gray eyes squinted at them through half opened lids.

"So noisy-"

Chaos.

"Bucky!" Steve yelped in concern at his pal's almost impossibly fast shift of movement.

"_Maica,_" Nadia whispered, her tone almost disbelieving.

"Oh, God..." Bucky breathed.

The dark-haired man choked, and like a blanket over her torso, he draped himself over her. He wrapped her in his arms and dug his nose into the crook of her neck. He could feel her pulse, like a fluttering butterfly. Not strong, but alive.

_Alive._

His grip tightened, though he was still aware of himself enough not to crush the woman underneath him.

"Hey, pancakes..." She managed to breathe out.

That did it for him.

Sergeant.

Howling commando.

Assassin.

Super Soldier.

None of it mattered.

James Buchanan Barnes cried.

His sobs were almost silent, but his shoulders shook and tears streamed down his face. Not that anyone but Renny could tell from the wetness that had formed on her shoulder. Weak as she was, Renny mustered enough strength to lift her arm around the man, curling her fingers into his back.

Nadia knelt on the other side of the bed and took hold of Renny's free hand, squeezing it. Renny's eyes flit around the room, not seeing another member of her family. When she felt Nadia squeeze her fingers again, she looked back at the young woman.

Pale grey eyes met hazel.

"Anya?"

Nadia shook her head.

Bucky squeezed Renny tighter, and her breath caught in her throat.

She had known. Well... Made a deduction ever since her short interaction with Bruce before the battle... But she'd never had _actual_ confirmation.

The eldest Capelli pulled her granddaughter to her and kissed her hair. Nadia had crawled onto the little space left on the bed and curled close to her grandmother. The young woman put one arm around Bucky's back too.

Everything seemed to have hit Renny at once then.

Thanos was dead and gone.

The universe had been saved from his twisted dream.

Her obligation was done.

_Done_.

The love of her life had lived through the war.

Her daughter was dead.

But Nadia was here.

Perennial Capelli held onto what was left of her family, soft sobs tumbling from her lips as she finally found release.

* * *

"Nenny Penny?"

_Oh my God._

She hadn't heard that nickname in thirty... Almost forty years.

One look at the door and she was greeted with a colorful bouquet of flowers.

"It_ is_ you... Isn't it?"

He must have noted how she immediately perked up at the nickname. His eyes were as warm as ever. Well, with that spark (actually a roaring fire) of sass and the bit of brokenness he hid so well, ever since he was a kid.

She smiled and shrugged, "Hello, Tinker."

"_God_. It is."

It had been another week since she woke. It was only yesterday that Bucky had finally agreed to take some time out of the infirmary.

That couldn't have been a coincidence.

Tony put the flowers in a spare vase on a second side table. While he went through the motions of arranging the flowers, Renny could tell he was glancing at the second, much smaller bunch of baby's breath and daisies.

His tone was casual, but she could pick up on something confused and accusing when he spoke. "I can't believe you're actually still with the Manchurian candidate. It wasn't like the praises he sang about Capsicle, but he did mention how close you and the Tin Man were during the war. He's not the same Bucky you knew in the 40's, you know."

She grimaced.

Right. The last time Bucky and Tony interacted with each other was in Siberia. When the billionaire found out that it was the Winter Soldier that had killed his parents. Then he tried to kill Bucky too.

Still... That was two years ago... But there was no set time frame for forgiveness. Especially when the person _murdered_ your parents.

"I know." She took a deep breath. Why Nadia didn't include Tony when she brought the others to the archives...

Well...Her granddaughter had the guts to reveal the truth to four people.

Nadia told Renny that she didn't want Tony to have something else that would bother him. Her father wasn't exactly the epitome of good emotional coping. Especially with the genius stressing so much over the recent news of Pepper's pregnancy.

Renny steeled herself. She could handle spilling the beans to one person. The one person who would most likely not take it very well.

"I stuck with him during most of his HYDRA days." She admitted to him.

"I know." Tony returned as he shrugged.

Renny straightened._ How?..._

As if she'd said the question out loud, he replied, "Peter told me the gist of it. He can get really carried away when he's emotional." The man turned around, looking out the window instead of at the woman on the bed.

Renny sighed deeply, "Please don't hold any of this against Nadia." The young woman would be crushed, especially when she was growing so close to her father. "I made the rules. She was following my orders. I'm sorry."

_Sorry about your parents._

_Afghanistan._

_Pepper almost dying several times._

"About not doing anything."

Tony surprised her again when he said, "_No_." His voice was firm. ""_Not doing anything_"?" His tone was incredulous, "You don't get to apologize."

Renny curled into herself this time. She could understand how he could be angry. How could he not? Tony always felt strongly about things even if he tried not to show it. Maybe he even hated her now. She wouldn't be surprised-

"You don't get to apologize for the pancakes or PB&J sandwiches, the little games you used to insist on us playing, the aspirin, the coffee in the cupboard, the orange juice, or being the pain in the ass informant for Pep and Rhodey."

Renny's eyes widened and her body tensed. For a few moments, she stared at her hands and he stared at her. _He_ remembered those things?

Then, Renny shocked the billionaire when she started chuckling. Oh_ she_ remembered all those times. Anya took over for her when her daughter thought that she'd help out her mother by taking the fate of the most prominent person off the list of her responsibilities.

"Well that just proves that you were my childhood stalker." Tony said, plopping down on the seat beside her bed with folded arms. "Pieced it together after the kid spilled your story."

Renny's chuckles turned into a full on laugh and she finally looked him in the eye again. "Yeah..." She breathed shakily when her laughter slowly calmed, tears in her eyes, "You were always too dang smart for your own good."

Silence ensued once more until Tony spoke again, "You know you could have asked for help, Aunt Pen. You didn't have to-"

Renny shook her head, "You know I couldn't have-"

"_Bull-shit_." Tony said firmly. "There are so many of us. We could have easily strategized something. Worked something out. I mean," he pointed to himself, "Genius billionaire philanthropist? Gosh, Strange and Banner are geniuses too. Or the other heroes? Maybe not tell them the truth, because honestly it does sound crazy even if I believe you, but nudge them in the right direction! You could have taken your pick!_ Something!_" Tony huffed and dragged a hand over his face to calm himself down.

"Would you have believed me?" Renny said plainly, her voice tired.

There it was. More like she expected.

Tony's rant.

She knew this wasn't going to be easy. "You know how volatile time is, Tony. I was_ terrified_ of making a mistake. An irreversible chain reaction." She put a hand on his head and the man was struck by the nostalgia of the times she did the same when he was much younger, a silly grin on her face." You know I can't manipulate people for shit."

He shot up from his seat and turned around, running a hand through his hair, "You still didn't have to go through it alone."

Tony started to walk away when she spoke up again, "I had my girls. And because you took Peter and my Nadia under your wing, I _still_ have her. Thank you."

He paused for a second at the doorway, almost like he wanted to say something. After a moment, "I've had her around too. So thanks." Then he left.

Renny smiled. Much better than she expected.

* * *

**A/N: So this story is coming to a close. The next chapter will be the last and will be kind of an epilogue to wrap things up. There is a bit that I worked on and am considering including at the end of the story as part of the epilogue. It's a little more of a plot bunny that will bring the story back to Peter and Nadia. I'm not positive I will have the time to write out a proper multi-chapter story though. **

**So what do you guys think? Should I put it in the next chapter or not? **

**Thoughts on this chapter? On the story in general. I always love to hear (read) from you.**

**Til next time~**


	16. Chapter 16

**Edit: No changes to the final chapter of "To Infinity". I just took that little plot bunny and posted it in the next chapter instead of at the end.**

* * *

Now that she was awake, Renny slowly began to see the aftereffects of her efforts.

She would never know, as her foreknowledge only went as far as the _Infinity War_ trailers, but the biggest thing she had prevented was The Snap.

Yes, uncountable lives had been saved, but there was loss as well.

Wakanda had suffered the most. Much of their fighting force had been lost to the Outrider army. The outskirts of the nation were ravaged. Even with their advanced technology, it would take a few years to completely recover.

Since Wakanda was now open to the world, Tony could be liberal with the assistance from Stark Industries. Not that Wakanda needed help technologically. It was more of a manpower issue. Tons of volunteers also offered their help. The screening process was _very_ extensive though. The nation was wary of those who might be taking advantage of their current vulnerability.

The genius billionaire also pushed for the pardon of the so-called "rogue" Avengers. The paperwork was almost done. It would take a bit longer to go through the entire process and become fully official, but Steve, Natasha, and Sam could go back to the States without the fear of being arrested. Clint and Scott actually finished with their house arrest deals, but with the pardon, their slates for the incident in Berlin were wiped clean.

As for Wanda...

Though her name was one of those in the pardon, she couldn't go back just yet. Using the mind stone had done damage. Even if she had technically gained her powers from said stone, it had been too a little too much when she used the actual gem.

Simply said, Strange had to take her after the battle to see what could be done to patch the cracks in her mind.

When it came to Bucky...

The pardon actually included the former Winter Soldier. Steve wanted nothing more than for his best friend to come home.

"I can't, Stevie." Bucky looked down at his metal arm. It was no longer the bright silver of HYDRA's weapon but now the sleek black of vibranium. Still, it was cold enough to remind him of what he'd been. What he'd done.

He still couldn't face Tony.

Howard's son.

"I'm needed here. Gonna help rebuild. It's the least I could do." The least he could do to repay them for rebuilding his psyche.

And for taking care of his girl too.

"After then, Buck. You know Stark wouldn't have pushed to include you in the pardon if he was still holding a grudge. He-"

The dark-haired man shook his head, "It was what Stark was _expected_ to do. He probably didn't want to piss you off again." Bucky sighed, "He can still be bitter about it and I wouldn't blame him. It was his _mom and dad_, Steve."

The blond frowned and responded firmly, "It wasn't _you_, Buck."

Bucky knew that, but he was still coming to terms with it himself, "Maybe not. But it'll be a while 'til Stark _really_ sees that." He sighed, a beat passing before he let himself smile, "It's not like I'm disappearing this time, punk. You'll see me again. I'll be here. And after..."

Steve followed his friend's soft gaze to a figure holding a basket of bread.

"Maybe we'll go somewhere. Near the ocean, maybe." Bucky said, his tone contemplative.

Steve smiled, "Yeah, she deserves one _hell_ of a vacation. Retirement, actually..." He put an arm on his friend's shoulder, "You do too, Buck." You've both gone through so much."

"Look who's talking." Bucky punched his friend's shoulder. They were both a hundred years old.

For a few moments, the two watched the woman make her rounds among the people who were taking a break from rebuilding houses.

The blond punched his friend's arm in return, "Take care of her, jerk."

"That was always the plan, punk."

They shared a tight hug, Steve saying, "The compound's always open. If Stark has a problem, he can deal with it. I'm done asking permission."

Bucky chuffed. Oh, what the world had done to the Golden boy of America and to him too-

"Teddy bear!" Instead of the small figure dashing over, Renny ambled over. "You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?" She said after a few breaths, putting her hands on her hips.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Steve wrapped his arms around her next as she did the same.

When they both pulled back, she placed an object in his hand.

"It's not a flip phone, but..."

A Kimoyo bracelet.

"They have an unlimited range now. Shuri's very proud." She smiled.

The only difference from the ones he had seen was that this one only had four beads. The rest was thick, braided cord.

She put up her wrist. Bucky did the same.

"Whenever you need us." She secured the bracelet on Steve's wrist before giving it a pat.

"We'll be there." Bucky finished.

Renny gave the blond another half-hug, "Or you know, if you just miss us. I'm sure you can sneak the quinjet and we can meet somewhere like Indonesia or wherever for coffee."

* * *

"Okay, deep breath. Today's the day!" May tried to contain her excitement but couldn't help the excited bounce of her heels.

Peter smiled at his aunt and put a hand on top of hers, "Calm down, May. Can we just-" He chuckled. "We're going to be late."

"Knock knock." Peter looked up from the tie May was fumbling with to see Nadia in his bedroom doorway, fingers working on an earring.

She looked pretty in her powder blue blouse, dark jeans, and heels. The glint of the dog tag necklace he had given her years ago glinted in the light from his window.

"Okay, May. Here." Nadia chuckled too, moving to take the ends of Peter's tie from the woman's overly shaky hands. She stood in front of the teen, muttering steps to herself as she knotted it neatly. Stepping back when she was done, she checked her work before patting the Peter's shoulder in satisfaction.

_Click!_

"May!" Peter flushed, but Nadia just smiled.

"We can take pictures after the ceremony." Nadia laughed this time.

_Click!_

"C-Come on, May!" Peter stuttered.

_Click!_

"But you look so adorable awkward." The older woman reasoned.

"Hey, hey! Come on aunt of the graduate," Nadia pulled away from Peter to take May's phone. "Let's get one of the both of you, then we go."

May shuffled forward and put an arm around her nephew and smiled. Peter's smile was a little exasperated, but still genuinely happy.

_Click!_

"Alright, this is nice," Nadia looked at the phone before passing it back to May, "Now you _are_ going to be late." She went to May and nudged her toward the door. Peter grabbed his toga and cap before following them to the living room.

His phone buzzed. "Aw, man! Ned's already at school." Brown eyes widened as he finished the text from his friend, "They'll be gathering the in the class in _fifteen__ minutes_!"

Nadia stopped in the living room, humming. "Okay. You can still get there." She turned back to Peter, "Can you ask Ned to go to the boy's restroom near the cafeteria and make sure it's empty?"

Peter did as he was told and called the other teen, putting him on speaker, and relaying the instructions.

**::I need to get away from my mom first, but- Oh! Are you portalling here? ::** Ned's voice sounded excited.

"Make_ sure_ it's empty, Ned." Nadia slipped on her sling ring, "I can take the car to Midtown, May."

"Oh! But sweetie! You'll miss most of the ceremony." The woman looked distressed.

"It's okay. I'll make it before they call Peter to the stage." Nadia winked, holding out her hand for May's keys.

"Oh, if you're sure-"

**::It's all clear. I repeat- the rendezvous point is green.::** Ned reported. **::That's how they say it, right?::**

"Copy that." Peter grinned, "And yes. Well... Most of the time." He responded before ending the call.

May gave the young woman her keys and smiled, "We'll see you there then."

Nadia stretched both arms in front of her before gesturing in a circle with one hand. Sparks formed a ring to reveal the restroom and Ned's wide-eyed expression. "Still _so_ cool. Hey, why haven't I gotten to go through one of those yet?"

May walked through first, Peter pausing to nudge Nadia with his shoulder. "I'll make sure May saves you a seat."

"Wouldn't doubt it, Spider boy."

Peter made sure he was safely on the other side before he joked, "Don't scratch the car, Dia!"

The young woman stuck her tongue out in response before snapping the portal shut roughly enough that a gust of air ruffled his slicked-back hair into a mess.

Peter and Ned laughed. May huffed, rifling through her purse for a comb.

* * *

Through the glass, he watched as they moved debris around.

Now that there was no looming threat hanging over them, they had been able to organize this mission.

Of course, Thor wanted to give those who had perished during Thanos' attack proper burial rituals. Most of them were _his_ people after all.

As much as the trickster should have probably felt some form of regret for the lives lost, he had been their _king_ for three years after all, he had seen them as more of his subordinates. He didn't care too much for them. Not right now when-

_There._

He didn't hesitate.

He slapped on the device that would keep him safe in the vacuum of space, not that he really needed it. Using the proper door to exit the ship they had used would take too long, so he simply teleported himself out.

Pale blue.

Frost twinkled like crystals in her hair, glinting from the lights from the ship.

Frozen like some kind of statue.

Her eyes were slightly open, making her look like she was half way to falling asleep. Or waking from a dream and taking a peek at what might have woken her.

Hauntingly beautiful. Perfect even in death if it weren't for the ugly bruising around the column of her neck. The necklace he had given her glinted on her clavicle. The small round pendant looked unassuming but had the runes to store spells. Likely what she had used to hold her transformation spell even when she-

A firm hand clapped on his shoulder and he turned to see his brother.

The Guardians, along with the team of Asgardians who had accompanied them, had already recovered what bodies they could find and had returned to the ship. Only he and Thor were left outside.

How long had Loki spent simply gazing at her with his hand on her cold cheek? Almost desperately hoping that those beautiful blue eyes would truly open and she would simply wake and smile at him.

_Loki._

Thor hesitated for a moment longer, hating that he had to state the obvious, "It's time to go, brother."

It took a moment before he responded, "Of course."

With a gentleness Thor only saw a few times when they were children, Loki brushed his hands over her lids and kissed her hair. "Rest now, darling." The god cradled Anya's body in his arms and he kissed the top of her head, "Time to go home."

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**A/N: Fin!~**

**Alright this is the official end of "To Infinity". It's amazed me that I managed to write three different interconnecting stories in a short amount of time (for me anyway). What a ride! I'm so grateful for everyone who's stuck with this story and dropped their reviews too. Thank you so much to all those who added this story to their alerts and favorites too. I guess I'll see you guys when I post another story which may or may not be connected to the Capellis. Please tell me what you think of this ending or the story as a whole. If you have any requests related to this story, I might post one-shots later on. Thanks again everybody!**

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**PS:**

**Now, I wanted to wait a little longer before I posted this chapter, but life is getting pretty hectic again too, and I didn't want to make you guys wait extra long. The reason I wanted to wait was to get some of your opinions regarding the question I asked last chapter. I have a little plot bunny hopping around again. This one will bring the focus back to Peter and Nadia again. Should I post it here? **

**VERY IMPORTANT! I'm not sure if I will have time to follow through with this plot bunny.**

**So, for those curious, I've posted it in the next chapter. If you'd rather not add an open ending, skip the last chapter.**


	17. Plot bunny for the next possible story

**A/N: So this is the little plot bunny I was talking about. I moved it from the last chapter to here. With life getting hectic, I might not be able to write this out. So if you're curious enough, read on. If you don't like how this ends open-ended, don't read it.**

**Drop a review if you want to see more. Reviews feed the muse.**

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Nadia adjusted the scarf on her face to protect her from the bit of dust that was occasionally kicked up from the ground.

Fury had called her in. He needed her expertise. Or at least someone familiar with magic. She agreed to the assignment because the man assured her that he sent agents to cover for her in Queens. She was supposed to have nightly patrol because Peter was prepping for a short vacation to Europe.

Some of the graduates decided to have one last shebang together with a short vacation abroad. Time to mess around being teens and see the world before moving on to the next chapter of their lives- college.

Nadia guessed taking this one mission was okay. The youngest Capelli told herself she'd solve whatever this case was while she waited for Peter to get back from his class trip to Europe.

She and Peter had their own cosmic tour planned before he started at MIT.

Nadia had tried to convince Loki to accompany her so the mission would hopefully conclude sooner. He refused though. If there was one person he did _not_ want to get involved with, other than through his own manipulations, it was Nick Fury.

Besides, the trickster was confident in his student's skills. Nadia had grown much over the months she had spent under his tutelage while they searched for a remedy for Lady Renny's condition. Midgardian monsters were nothing compared to the magical horrors other realms could produce.

By the way the locals had described the attack. An elemental was responsible. Earth did not have chaotic or potent enough magic to have such creatures naturally occur. So there were two possibilities. It was either man-made or summoned.

Fury was very lucky. Nadia had actually come across one when she had been on her off-world mission with Loki. Though, it had been an earth golem. Not a tornado with a face.

It was strange. She couldn't pick up any traces of sorcery but her own. Elementals _usually_ meant an abundance of magical residue. She'd done a second sweep to make sure.

Still nothing arcane.

The only sign of a possibly otherworldly creature was the physical damage to the ruined town. Maybe the summoner thought to erase his magical signature? Or maybe this thing was actually the result of some crazy scientist's work then...

Sighing, she walked towards the sound of an arriving car. Fury's and Hill's voices drifted from the other side of a ruined building.

She needed to report her findings... Or what she _didn't_ find. This was looking more like it was a man-made crisis-

A loud thump and a flurry of gunshots made her start running.

"Who are you?"

The male voice wasn't a familiar one.

Suddenly there was a deafening roar and Nadia caught a glimpse of a sleek black car being flipped into the air.

Quickly, she portalled into the alley ready to attack the unknown man there when he fired off twin blasts of green from his hands at what looked like an earth elemental.

Another sorcerer? Not the summoner she guessed with how the man disintegrated one of the elemental's arms.

Before she could think more on it, the thing swept its remaining arm in a wide arc, making several ruins collapse. Nadia managed to throw a protective shield over Fury and Hill to thwart the falling debris.

At the same time, another blast of green energy pushed the monster back and disintegrated the debris, rendering Nadia's spell unnecessary.

Screams and cries came from the handful of civilians that had stayed in the town to salvage their belongings. Nadia focused on taking them out of the danger zone, portalling them to the outskirts of town, while the other sorcerer handled the elemental.

"Friend of yours, maybe?" Fury said when Nadia portalled him and Hill to a building that seemed far enough to be safe, but also a good enough vantage point to watch the fight.

She shook her head. From what she could see, the man didn't wear the style of robes of anyone from Kamar Taj. The gold and green armor didn't look Asgardian either. Besides, she couldn't see the guy's face with that cloudy fishbowl on his head.

_What was with that?_

Nadia was about to portal into the fray to help when Fury put a hand on her shoulder.

_Wait._

The man wanted her to observe. It looked like the newbie had this in hand anyway. Maybe they could pick something up about the stranger from this fight.

So she watched.

Though she twitched and winced when the man was hit or thrown into a wall several times, she stayed put. If he was faking, he was doing one hell of a _good_ job.

He flew around the elemental while blasting more of that green energy.

Flight.

That was a _rare_ thing. Loki couldn't do that. Thor needed his hammer and even then it wasn't really flying. Doctor Strange was only capable because of the Cloak of Levitation. Was the newbie's cape an artifact as well?

The pyramids that he seemed to use as a conduit for his spells instead of the usual arcane circles were unfamiliar to her.

Something felt a bit off too. She wasn't sensing _anything_ arcane even with the ongoing fight against an active elemental.

She could find out more in a bit. A concentrated attack from the new guy made the elemental explode into pieces. It didn't regenerate.

That told her that it was only a lower-tier elemental. Still nasty and problematic, but one of the easier ones to beat if you knew what you were doing. High tier earth elementals were a pain in the ass because they loved to use the earth around them to heal their injuries.

"Get us down there, Capelli," Fury ordered.

"Hey, a "please" wouldn't hurt. I'm not your chauffeur." Nadia rolled her eyes but chuckled, though she was also eager and curious to investigate herself.

A ring of sparks announced their arrival behind the newbie (she really should get his name) and his head shot up when he turned.

The fishbowl was gone.

Shorter locks and facial hair reminded Nadia a bit of Thor. Brown instead of blond though.

His deep blue orbs widened in surprise and... Something Nadia couldn't put her finger on when his gaze landed on her for a second before flitting back to Fury.

For some reason, something about the man reminded her of Loki.

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**A/N: Thoughts? Would you guys be interested in this story? Things are going to be different though since Tony's alive and the snap didn't happen. Again, it's a bit of a slim chance right now that I'll be able to write it out.**


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